The Black Paladin
by Anya Leigh
Summary: Lance finds himself the sole survivor on the Voltron team, and he takes it upon himself to reassemble Voltron. It doesn't help that he has to find four new paladins for the lions, nor his crippling self-care. Through the power of coffee and spite, he becomes the leader the universe needs. Takes place following the events of season 5.
1. Chapter 1 - End of an Era

Chapter 1 – End of an Era

And with that, it was all over.

He kept looking back, hoping to see just one glimpse of the cargo ship holding all his friends, bursting through the wormhole at the speed of light. But there wasn't anything. All of them were gone.

Shiro, the spirit of leadership. The one they could count on to have a steady head and a straight heart. Even with the bumps along the way, the real Shiro would always shine through. The strong arms that could hold the world.

Keith, the spirit of courage. Bursting into situation where there was no possible hope for escape and, somehow, managing to get the whole team out alive. His best friend, though he didn't think in a million years that the feelings were mutual.

Pidge, the spirit of curiosity. She reminded him of his own _hermana_ , witty and determined. How she'd laughed at his surprise at her little gender reveal party, as if he should've been nosy enough to find out on his own. How she could turn an enemy over on its head in seconds with a flick of a switch.

Hunk, the spirit of kindness. His best friend, whom he'd met day one at training. The boy he'd attached to immediately. How he'd been so lucky, he'd never know. Such an obvious choice for the yellow lion, and the cat had never wavered from its decision.

Allura, the spirit of determination. He didn't know if he was in love with her, or just deep in admiration. From day one, she'd held his ear and been a source of strength and knowledge. There was no challenge she couldn't overcome, absolutely nothing she couldn't do. He supposed only death could stop her.

Coran, the spirit of compassion. Perhaps…perhaps no one was beyond saving, and Coran understood that more than anyone. He understood how humans worked, or maybe was just willing to learn.

And him. Lance, the spirit of…of hope. Staring into the space-y abyss, where no hope could be found.

He collapsed on the floor and cried.

Lance woke to incessant beeping. He rubbed his eyes and tried to calm his shaking hands. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the moisture and lack of light. He stood and placed his hands on Shiro's console. The Voltron Coalition lit up before his eyes.

The leaders looked on him in silence, and he wiped his eyes quickly before slapping the button he hoped would turn on the lights. He looked up, trying to smile, but his mouth had seemed to forget what that was.

"Where is Princess Allura?" The Olkarian leader asked.

"And the other paladins?" Another chimed in, but Lance admitted he'd forgotten the name.

He took a moment to organize his thoughts. "They didn't make it."

The leaders took a moment to process this, and he could see it on their faces. The dismay, the anger, the sudden realization. "So all hope is lost."

 _I'm still here_ , Lance wanted to beg. But he didn't say anything, because he didn't exactly want to be alive, either.

"What will we do?" One wailed.

"The Galra will destroy my people without batting an eye!"

"Not mine," one clucked, "we're too valuable."

"Not everyone can be technical geniuses! We should've never joined in the first place."

"We're too close. If we break apart now, the Galra will reign for another ten thousand years. Who knows what damage they could do? Or if there would be anything to recover at all."

"I'm not risking my people over some foolish whim."

"Then what would you suggest we do? Without Voltron, all hope is lost."

They looked at Lance.

If the Coalition disbanded, they'd lose everything, all he and his friends had worked for. _I did not leave Earth to have everything we've worked for fall apart_. He remembered Shiro saying a leader had only failed if he didn't prepare his people to move on without him. He remembered the genius of George Washington from _Hamilton_ , and wished he could have a better ending.

He tapped his fingers on the console. He couldn't let their sacrifices be in vain. But it would fall apart without Voltron, and he couldn't pilot it by himself. He took a deep breath, then looked up. "Give me two—give me twenty quintents. I'll assemble Voltron. If I haven't by then—do what you will."

The council seemed annoyed yet satisfied with that decision.

He changed into his normal clothes, despite having all the paladin outfits to change into. They'd gone into their last mission undercover, but he'd gotten into his armor after getting back to the ship, right before the wormhole closed and he lost them.

He walked into the hangar.

"Blue?"

Nothing.

"Hey, Blue. I just—I just wanted something familiar, I guess. Would you mind?"

Obviously.

He turned to Red.

"Alright, then. Let's go."

Nothing. He put his hand out, but the force field knocked him back a couple steps. He looked away for a second, collecting his thoughts. " _Please_." Nuh uh. "I don't want to. I'll find another leader, I swear."

The Black Lion stood behind him, though he refused to turn around. His eyes filled up with tears again, and he realized how Keith had felt. Defeated, he turned around and climbed into Black.

"Okay, so the nearest system is a couple dobashes away. It's a pretty diverse city, and it isn't under direct Galra control. I don't think they'll be looking for me, since I'm probably listed as dead along with the rest of them, so I should be fine. It's a pretty diverse city, so I'll just scout around, see who I meet, and find a couple people willing to become social pirates!"

Nothing. Man, this lion was weird.

Lance leaned back. "Listen. I know I'm not Shiro or Keith. I'm kindave an idiot. It's like Pidge said, I'm the goofball. But I'm not going to be myself. I'll be the leader Voltron needs, unless we find someone else. But I don't want to get in the middle of a battle and lose it. I need your help." He closed his eyes. "I need you."

His seat vibrated slightly, and he snorted. "Okay, that's just weird."

Was it like this for Shiro and Keith? He knew every lion was different. Flying Blue and Red had taught him that. But Black was so…weird.

Not that he'd say that out loud. In the cockpit.

Hazapok Station was crazy, but not as crazy as the market back home. He took the precaution of wearing a trashy looking cloak, even though few Galra knew what he looked like without the suit. People milled about, buying completely legal things under the supervision of scary looking security guards.

Shouting diverted his attention, and he whipped around to see a girl of about—a GIRL! HUMAN GIRL RUNNING AT HIM—* _smack_ *.

He and the girl toppled on the ground, her on top of him. His mind, still reeling from the crazy in the last day, tried to process how a human girl had ended up so far in space. Granted, Pidge had done the same thing, but she had her reasons. She looked about as confused as him, her red hair all tangled up in front of her face.

Lance looked up to see two of the security guards in hot pursuit, guns out and blazing. Acting on instinct, he pulled out his shield and stepped in front of her. She still looked like she was in shock, so he took it upon himself to keep these guys off her back.

The quickly laid off their shooting, seeing they weren't going to get through his shield. "Stand down!"

"Hey, chill," he said, holding out his hand. "We can talk about this."

"Stand down." They held up their guns again.

He held up his shield. "Leave the lady alone."

"She has possession of unpaid goods."

Great, a thief. He glanced back, seeing a package hidden in her cloak. He rolled his eyes and looked back. "No need to open fire."

One of the guards threw off his cloak Obi-Wan style and pulled out a sword. Lance sighed and pulled out the red bayard. It turned into his sword, just as the guard made his first move.

In moments, the guard was on the floor. The others in the area didn't look too happy about that.

He turned and grabbed the girl's arm, leaning in. "Run." They bolted down the street, followed by the guards in hot pursuit. A couple times, he turned to take down a guard that got too close. One time, he lost his footing and toppled to the ground to avoid getting stabbed in the chest. The guard towered over him, but from behind, a sword-ish knife thing flew from behind and buried itself in his chest. He whipped around to see the girl stopped, still in her throwing position. Lance grabbed the weapon and bolted after her.

She bolted into an alley, and quickly evaded the guards.

Pressed up against the wall, she panted heavily, obviously not used to that level of physical exercise. He waited until she recovered a bit, then handed back her weapon. "What is that?"

"Who cares about mine?" She snapped. Her voice was deeper then he'd thought it would be. "Where in the world did you get an Altean Longsword?"

She knew her stuff. He looked at it for a moment, then released his grip. "It's a bayard." She gaped all the more. He attached it to his belt and held out his hand. "What's your name?"

She took a couple breaths, then stared at his hand. "Ari."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lance."

"Why'd you stand up for me?"

"It's kindave what I do."

"What, traverse the galaxy looking for poor souls in need?"

He shrugged. "Kindave."

She squinted. "Who are you?"

He couldn't stop looking at her red hair. Sure, it could just be a coincidence, but he remembered one immigrant red haired kid back in Cuba without any chill. A hothead, a trait he considered linked to a certain lion. As if the universe couldn't be more obvious. "Why were you stealing stuff?"

She paused for a moment, then pulled the parcel out of her cloak. She unwrapped it slowly. "Haza's pretty strict when it comes to portioning, especially to kids." She pulled out a nasty green loaf he assumed was food. "It's not for me."

"So you do have a soft side?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" She snapped.

He straightened himself. "I'm trying to build a team, wondering if you could help."

"What kind of team?"

"The kind that saves the universe."

She squinted, not getting it. She looked down, either at his hips or his bayard, and her eyes widened. "Voltron." He nodded as her head whipped from his face to his bayard to the busy streets. "You're a paladin of Voltron?" He nodded. "This is insane. Wh—where are the others?"

He took a deep breath. He didn't really trust her, but he didn't not trust her either. Didn't make a lot of sense to him. Maybe it was a Black Lion thing, because Shiro and Keith had made really quick decisions and been right most of the time, whereas it took him twenty minutes back home to figure out which shirt to wear. "The other paladins were lost in battle, as well as many fighters."

Her eyes widened, but she hid herself quickly. "Sorry about that."

"I'm rebuilding the team."

"And you're just looking for anyone you bump into?"

 _Yeah, but you don't need to know that_. He held out his hand. "You in?"

She looked at it in question, but only for a couple seconds. She shook his hand. "It's not like I have anything better to fight for here."

He smiled, but it felt fake and tight. She knew why. "Great. Now we just need paladins for yellow, green, and blue."

"English?"

"Nice guy, techie, and idiot."

A smirk spread on her face. "If you're interested, I know where you can find an idiot."

"I'll take what I can get."


	2. Chapter 2 - An Idiot

Chapter 2 – An Idiot

Ari had flipped out when he took her to the Black Lion. He'd hoped deep inside that it would purr to her or something, anything to say that he could go back to Blue or Red. But no, he was stuck. He flew her to the other side of the planet.

He'd asked what kind of sword she had.

"It's a Gladius. I read that there was this civilization where I come from that used it, called the Roman Empire."

Lance blinked. "The Roman Empire?"

"Yeah. They had a bunch of cool stuff, but eventually, mostly due to hubris and things, it collapsed." She tossed the gladius from hand to hand. "I really hope it's not a myth or anything, because it sounded really cool." He shook his head, grinning. "What?"

"Have you never been to Earth?"

"No."

"Then how did you get all the way out here?"

"I honestly have no idea. I don't have many memories from before I was—six." She grimaced, as if memories form being six were especially painful. "Not that I care," she snapped, whipping back into an apathetic state.

He tilted his head, the smile still on his face. "You're human, right?"

"It's the only description I fit. Though I'm supposed to be a social creature, and that's where I fall short."

"Have you met any other humans?"

"Just idiot. And you'll be meeting him soon."

They landed in the mountains near a city in a valley. "Monte Cristo, and probably as ironic as this excuse for a planet gets. Probably the most dangerous place in this whole system." Lance's eyes traveled up to a poster on the high wall, urging able bodied souls to join the Galra Empire. Ari noticed. "Interested?"

Her tone was full of that snarky sarcasm perfect for Red's paladin. "They're expanding. Usually they'd only have people with Galra blood."

"Guess that one guy's changing things up. What's his name again?"

"Lotor."

"Right. Him."

"Where are we headed?"

"There's this underground bar. And by underground, I mean pretty illegal."

Great. Two paladins he was considering, and they both were essentially criminals. Though, he'd had his fair share of run-ins with the law back home. "What's he like?"

"An idiot," she growled.

"Yeah, you've said that."

"Don't know what else you want to know."

"Neither do I." How had Allura known?

They weaved through a couple alleys and into the bar. It was crowded with aliens, none of which looked familiar to Lance. He was in awe at the masses of civilizations they had yet to uncover, some from planets still undiscovered. Ari walked towards a brawl on the far end of the bar, and as they got closer, a human boy with blond hair skid across the table, coming to a halt at the edge. He grimaced for a moment, but he focused on the redhead above him. His face broke out into a smile. "Ari!"

"Will."

"What are you doing here?" He sat up.

She crossed her arms over her chest, her frown deepening. "I could ask you the same question. You can't even drink."

 _How young are these two_? This was going to be the youngest Voltron team on record, if it kept up. He hadn't even turned eighteen yet, and they couldn't drink, so on this planet, they had to be younger than sixteen. All of a sudden, he didn't want to add them to the team. They were too young. It was too dangerous.

 _But I don't have a choice._

"What's going on?"

"I'll explain on the way."

"Always a mystery with you." He leaned forward, batting his eyes. Lance snorted. He was good. "Care to share?"

She leaned back in disgust, and Lance knew something else was going on. Or had gone on. It was a broken relationship, and he was an expert on those. "Just get your stuff."

A couple brawny men stepped up, and Lance's hand instinctively went to his bayard. "Blondie's not going anywhere until he pays us back."

"What did you do?"

"C'mon, you can't expect me to run this place without having a little fun." He looked at her expectantly, but she wouldn't budge. "I may have set a couple bets on an arm wrestling thing."

She facepalmed.

The brawny men stepped forward again, and the boy slid of the table and behind Ari, his eyes wide. "Um—don't come any closer! I have a Samurai on my side."

"Oh my gosh, Will, that's just a legend!"

"Actually," Lance stepped forward, drawing his bayard, "it's not."

Will bounced up and down. "Hi I'm Will who are you it's nice to meet you!"

He smiled, holding out his hand. "I'm Lance."

Will shook his hand. "Nice to meet you! I'm Will."

"Will you guys quit?" The brawny guys had drawn their weapons as well.

Lance grimaced. "Best case scenario, we don't have to fight."

"So the plan is?" Ari asked.

"Scram!"

Given they were all shrimps, it didn't take long to avoid the brawny men looking for money. On the way, Lance explained to Will the Voltron situation, while Ari tracked behind them, making sure they weren't followed (or being antisocial in general). Will was all on board, and Lance knew he was right for Blue. But as he got to know little Will more, he saw himself, before everything happened. Hopeful and carefree, smart and witty. Dashing, though he knew he shouldn't puff himself up. His chest hurt more and more.

Back at Black, Will busied himself fangirling over the sheer awesomeness of a lion of Voltron. Ari belted herself in for the ride, refusing to say a word to Will. Lance stayed in the cockpit, but realized neither of them planned on talking to him. He settled back into his seat, patting the controls.

"What do you think?"

Nothing bad.

"They're pretty neat. Ari's about as edgy as Keith. And I hate to admit it, but Will's essentially me, but smaller. A mini me."

The Black Lion purred.

"Is this really how it's gonna go? Just finding new paladins and training them? Because—" he choked up "—that's fine. That's fine. It'll be fine. This—this is the right thing to do. Not that I can do anything else right now."

He settled back in his seat, hands on the controls, tears stuck in his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3 - Out with the Old

Chapter 3 – Out with the Old

Lance forgot the other paladins hadn't cleaned up their rooms before rudely dying. He sent Ari and Will off to explore the castle and have some bonding time while he cleaned them out.

Shiro's room, so nice and neat. He didn't have a ton of stuff, which made sense. He hadn't been along on the Space Mall trip. Just one outfit hanging up in the closet, a picture of all of them together, and a pretty fluffy pillow. He kept the picture and stuffed the rest in a box.

Pidge's room was a nightmare and took about an hour itself to clean out. Not because he broke down crying with every item, but because there were layers of stuff. Just. When he thought he was only a foot away from the floor, there turned out to be another three yards. It was insane. Not even he was that messy, and he was Latino. He gained a deeper understanding of why Matt had run off to the far corners of the universe for a good two years, though he supposed the brother wouldn't be any better. He kept a couple keepsakes, like a couple hair ties and a worn computer, but the rest went into storage. Twelve boxes of storage, because he couldn't bear to throw anything out into space.

Hunk was a teenage boy kind of messy, but on a limited scale. Not too bad. He found the iconic headband and wore it while he cleaned it out. He found a pair of dried contact lenses on the floor and began to question everything he knew.

Keith had cleaned out his room when he joined the Blade.

After spraying the rooms down with some cheap disinfectant that smelled like lavender, the two new paladins moved into their rooms.

Lance stayed on the bridge. He sat in Pidge's seat, going through her files, hoping to find something. A search generator popped up, a facial one for the whole universe. "So this is how you found Matt," he whispered to himself. "Let's see if this machine-y thingy'll work."

After an hour of trying to figure out what Pidge probably could've done in seconds, he managed to modify the generator to search for personality types instead of a single person. He typed in curious, and smart, and waited for the search to bring him something close to Pidge. "Ha!" He said to himself, putting his hands on his hips. "You'd think I could pilot the Green Lion."

 _But if that had been the battle, we'd all be dead._

The generator dinged with a search. "And we've got a match!"

Another ding. And another. Followed by a billion others. He stared at a screen of matches that made his eyes sting. He turned off the search.

This was going to be harder than he thought.

Lance considered making a trip to the space mall, but Will came up one of the elevators. "Do you know what I found?"

He smiled. "What?"

"There's this machine downstairs that spits out green stuff! And guess what? It's edible!"

"Yeah, it's edible alright."

"And I checked out my room, it's pretty cool. Way bigger then my one back home. I think I'm gonna hang up a couple of Galra posters, y'know, just for aesthetic? I'm not turning or anything, I just think it'll look cool. Blue and purple just have that kind of mash, y'know? And maybe one day, far in the future, when they study my life, they'll understand that I was a man of great taste."

What a roller coaster of a sentence. "Sounds good to me. I'll tell Ari not to take a stab at you."

"I appreciate it. Man, I dunno how you convinced her to come up here, especially since we're essentially just sitting ducks out here. She's usually the one to kind of play it safe. Now me, I'm always up for a little bit of world class saving adventure stuff, but I would've thought she would've just stayed in Haza."

"So you two know each other?" He sat down on the steps.

"Yeah." Will sat next to him, but his knees bounced. "She doesn't really like me that much. I don't blame her, but she's a really cool person to be around, and I wish we were still friends."

"Friends?"

"Well…we may have kissed. Once. And it may have been in an accident and resulted in a little scar below my ear." He pointed, then jumped up. "If you're planning on flirting or anything, it's not going to work. I though since she wasn't, like, disgusted or anything, she felt the same, but apparently she doesn't know what pick-up lines are."

It nearly made Lance laugh. "So now she doesn't like you very much?"

"Nah, not really. Why do you think I was at the station farthest from Haza? I don't want to be anywhere near her."

"But you still agreed to come."

He shrugged. "I'm no good to anyone back home. Might as well try to do something good with my life." He sat back down, hugging his knees. "What exactly are we doing? I mean, I know the whole Voltron lion thing, but what are we fighting?"

"I don't know what we're fighting exactly, to be totally honest. The Galra Empire's mostly under control, but there's just a couple of rogue fighters. But a lot of the planets wouldn't be where they are today without Voltron. It's a rallying point."

"Sounds good to me. But promise me we'll still have a couple awesome looking fights, right?"

"Do you know how to fight?"

"Well, there was that training area downstairs." He shuddered. "Who was on level forty-five?"

That would probably be Keith. Even before leaving, he'd far surpassed them all with the need to be better then everyone. "You'll need a weapon. But before we get to that, we still need two other paladins."

"For yellow and green." He wiggled like a happy worm. "I know my stuff."

"You sure do." And, though it seemed a bit weird, he tousled Will's hair. The boy jumped into a tight hug. Lance thanked his lucky stars they wouldn't be doing any intense warfare, because he would kill himself if something happened to this guy.


	4. Chapter 4 - Technical Difficulties

Chapter 4 – Technical Difficulties

Lance didn't want to sleep. Whenever he let his hand down on the pillow, it was as if the whole universe collapsed in on his mind, with memory after memory, scenario after scenario of what had happened in his closest friends' last moments. He didn't think he could have one more second of Keith screaming into the void, or of Hunk floating in the dark abyss of space, slowly losing oxygen, his very life force being sucked out of him. Instead, he trained.

"Level three, commencing."

After getting the Altean longsword (which he prided himself on having), the training room had reset. No longer did he face little drones to shoot, but instead, towering opponents with similar weapons. It wasn't easy to resort to stabbing, and he felt exposed. And exhausted. After sixteen attempts over an hour, he finally passed the level.

"This isn't like a video game at all," he panted, gripping the black bayard.

"Level four, commencing."

At least he couldn't have his mind of anything else.

By the time Will and Ari awoke, Lance locked himself in his room and passed out on the floor, probably due to exhaustion. Unconsciousness wasn't so bad, so he recharged for a couple hours, waking up to a knock on his door.

Boy, they needed help.

Ari stood at his door, looking uncomfortable. She looked annoyed yet desperate, and it prompted her to not snap at him. "I need help."

"What's up?"

"I—I don't know where to eat."

Will had found it right away, but Lance figured it was a guy thing, and when guys wanted food, they would find a way. He nodded, grabbed his jacket and walked her to the kitchen. She didn't say anything most of the way, resorting back to a usual scowl. But, as they reached their destination, she relaxed.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good. You?"

"Never better."

"How's it feel to be on a floating castle in the middle of space?"

"Weird. But it's okay. It kinda feels like home, to be honest with you."

He tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"I dunno. Just the design, the architecture. Just the right amount of oxygen. It all feels so nice. She put up her walls again. "But I'm not here for a vacation."

"Right. Just here to save the world and stuff."

She didn't say anything.

He pointed at the hose on the wall. "So, that's where the food comes out. It's pretty yucky, and a little bit bland on its own, but once we start doing the whole saving planets thing, we can pick up some spices and stuff. Hunk made the most amazing green goop cookies on the planet. You would've loved it."

"Sounds…appetizing."

That was packed full of sarcasm.

At first, she turned up her nose at a bowl full of green stuff looking like Jell-O that hadn't been chilled for long enough, but hunger took over, and she ate it slowly over ten minutes. Lance found eating helped with the whole feeling-like-crap thing, so he had two bowls before she'd finished. She wiped her mouth and looked up at him. "So, what's the plan for today?"

"We need to find two more paladins before we can do anything, but we need a good place to look. Last time, I just went to the nearest star system, where I found you and Will, but we've been floating in space all night. There's probably another one nearby."

"I'll check it out."

"Awesome, I'll show you how to use the consoles."

She took to the tech like a bird to the air—a bit wobbly at first, but once up there, a vicious predator to anything smaller. She found a nearby planet in minutes, and Lance pulled up some specs on it. "It's called Daria. Nice place, though there isn't a speck of green on the whole planet."

"Sounds familiar. Haza was too polluted to grow anything."

Lance flipped through a map of the planet, feeling like a very smart person. "I think there's a village somewhere on the south side, so we'll all go down in the Black Lion and see what we can find."

"All?" She scowled. "Do we have to bring Will?"

"Hey now, he's got good intentions at heart. He's just a bit reckless, that's all. Besides, you wouldn't want to leave him up here all alone, would you?"

Ari seemed to have a sudden, disturbing thought. "Have you seen him this morning?" He shook his head. "That's not good. Will unsupervised is a very not-good situation."

"I'm sure he can take care of himself."

"He'll probably get us killed. Somehow."

"I'm sure it'll be fine."

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Will screamed over the intercom.

All of a sudden, something smashed into the castle, sending it hurtling into the planet's atmosphere.

"We're descending too quickly!" Ari screamed. "We're gonna crash!"

"We're all gonna die!" Will wailed.

"What did you do?" Ari yelled.

"Well, I just wanted to try out the lion I'm gonna fly, and the blue one's eyes lit up, and I was taking it out for a little test drive but I came in too fast and don't know where the brakes are!"

"It's the pedal on the floor!"

"Oh!" Will paused. "I'm not gonna die after all!"

"You idiot!" She looked at Lance. "I knew he was dangerous."

"We don't have time to toss blame around."

"We don't have time for anything! You can't control this stupid castle, and we don't have time to get to the Black Lion!"

She was right. But he wore the Black Paladin suit from his training. "Open the hatch door!"

"Are you insane?"

"Shut up and trust me!"

She opened the door just as he tackled her out of it. They fell from the atmosphere, but he made sure not to let go of her. Will didn't seem to have any concept of how to fly his lion, but luckily, Lance had a backup plan. As they reached closer to the ground, he activated his jetpack and floated to sorta safety. It was a bit of a rough landing.

He and Ari watched as the castle descended from the sky and crashed on the ground, going up in smoke. "So that's it, then."

Well, it wasn't the end, just a setback. "Look, we need to find some locals, see if they're technologically advanced enough to help us out here."

"Like those two?" She pointed, and he followed her finger.

Standing on a hill about a hundred yards away were too identical yellow aliens, watching them closely. They turned and ran out of sight.


	5. Chapter 5 - Birds of a Feather

Chapter 5 – Birds of a Feather

"I'm really sorry, guys!" Will said, trailing behind them. "I was just really curious about the whole lion thing, and it got out of hand, but on the bright side, I can kindave fly my lion!" The optimistic side of the situation really wasn't helping. "Look, guys, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you I promise!"

"It's okay, Will," Lance said. "We'll find a way to fix this." Gosh, he sounded like Shiro. Did that make him the new Space Dad? Heck, he didn't want to be Space Dad.

Ari kept walking quicker. "Ari?" Will begged. "Please, c'mon, don't be mad at me. I mean, you're always mad at me, but just don't be mad at me for this thing! There's plenty of other things you can be mad at me about. But if you're mad at me for this thing, how are we going to fix it?" She kept walking, her fists clenching up. "You are mad at me, right?"

"You bet I'm mad at you! We're stranded on a forsaken alien planet because you couldn't wait for Lance to get two more people! If you had just waited a couple of days, you would've gotten some instruction on how to fly your lion and we wouldn't be in this mess. But because you're such a hothead, now we have to get off a planet before we can look for more paladins."

"Look, I'm sorry! It won't happen again."

"Sure it won't."

"Why can't my word just be enough?"

"You know very well why, William Clary. Now if you don't leave me alone you will find out why I have my gladius on me at all times."

That shut him up.

The village on the south side came into view quite quickly, and they saw the two identical yellow aliens running into it to spread the news. Lance hoped the planet wasn't already taken over by the Galra, because he didn't want to have to explain what he was doing to Lotor. The guy could find out in his own time. But at the same time, some global superpower help would be nice. Maybe there was even a tech genius Galra who could fly the green lion.

Nope, nopity nope. He was NOT considering trusting that purple guy. He didn't know what was up with the gorgeous man that looked like a combination of Loki and Legolas, but he didn't trust him.

But these yellow aliens looked okay.

A group of them met him at the edge. They weren't as strange as the sentient mud he'd met one time, and as far as other aliens went, they were pretty humanoid. They were a dusty looking yellow and looked like stick figures with a bit more meat on them. Not one could tip seventy pounds soaking wet. A couple of the older ones in the group had tattoo looking marks on their hands and arms, and he supposed it had something to do with an elderly, wise culture. One with such markings, stepped forward with open hands. "Welcome."

 _Thank goodness_. "Thank you."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Lance, and this is Ari and Will. We're paladins of Voltron."

"Voltron?" The crowd carried the name in murmurs. "Then you are most welcome. The Galra left only months ago, after the death of Zarkon. You are most welcome here."

"Thank you, but hopefully we won't take up too much of your time or resources. Our ship crashed a bit away from here, and once it's up and running, we'll be out of your hair."

"Please, do you have time to stay? We Alveri are renowned across Daria for our splendid party gatherings. It would be an honor to host three paladins of Voltron."

Ari looked uncomfortable, but Will's eyes were shining. "Of course. Thank you for your hospitality."

Lance heard Ari groan aloud behind him, but it was drowned out by the cheering Alveri. The elder seemed to be thinking. "Someone take the paladins to the twins. They'll take good care of you, both in having your ship up and running, and any of your needs while you stay."

"Hopefully won't be long," Ari muttered, but the elder either didn't hear or pretended not to.

Lance, Ari, and Will followed an Alveri to the back of the village, where they stepped into a hut. The two identical Alveri who had spotted them first sat inside. They both looked to be about fourteen, and were exactly the same, except in personality. One bounded up immediately, while the other took his time. "Hi stranger! My name's Jesse, it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." They shook hands. "I'm Lance."

"You're the Black Paladin?"

Lance looked down at his clothes. He wasn't used to that question. "Yeah."

"That's awesome."

"I'm Caden." The other stood and shook Lance's hand. "I can help you get you ship back up and running. Not to brag, but I'm pretty much the most techie one here."

"That's a fancy way for him to say he's a nerd." Jesse smiled.

"Hey!" Caden elbowed him. "Ignore him."

"We're twins," Jesse told him.

"That's awesome. Hopefully we can get the ship up and running so it's ready to go after the party, but don't push yourself."

"I don't know how to not push myself." Caden stood immediately. "Can I see your ship?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhh," Will ughed, and Lance turned.

"What?"

"We're just going to go and repair the ship? There's an entire village to explore!"

"We've got to get back up there so we can find two more paladins."

"I knoooooowww, but we're not going to search very effectively if we don't just kick back and have a little fun."

"Being cooped up in a broken ship is a lot more appealing." Ari looked like she was going to explode, the poor introvert. "I'm with Lance."

"Of course you are. But do you really want to be locked in an abandoned ship with me for hours?"

Ari's eyes widened, and she turned to Lance. " _Please_ get rid of him."

Lance didn't know how Shiro put up with it. Were he and Keith that bad at the start? He didn't know how much more he could put up with. "Listen, both of you need to get over your issues. Spend some quality time together around here. Get to know some people, and I'll meet you back when the party starts, okay?"

Ari scowled so much, his mama would be proud. Luckily, Jesse stepped forward. "I can show you guys around! And you won't have to be around each other the WHOLE time."

Will looked a bit disappointed. "Fine by me."

"GREAT!" Jesse grabbed both of their hands and pulled them out the door. "We're gonna have so much fun!" He shouted over his shoulder.

Caden looked at his, eyes shining. "So where's your ship?"

Caden seemed to have never seen anything like Altean tech before. He gaped at everything and was in awe at every feature Lance could remember. "This is unbelievable," he kept repeating. "I've never seen anything like it."

His enthusiasm reminded Lance of Pidge, and he admitted to himself that the twins were pretty perfect matches for the yellow and green lions. And they were brothers, so they wouldn't be tooth and nail like Ari and Will, or at least not in the same way. They'd eventually make up, from his own brotherly experience. But while Ari and Will were already in bad situations when he found him and had nothing to stay for, the twins had a whole village that needed them. The tech genius and the one who knew everyone. He didn't want to take them away from their home.

 _But I don't have a—_

— _Yes you do. Stop telling yourself that._

"And when Allura would stand here, two pillar things would rise up, and she could make wormholes."

"But you can't do that?"

"I haven't been able to. I'm not even Altean."

"I wonder." He tapped the side of a wall, just to pass the time. "This tech—it's like it's coded with DNA, which is really intricate and stuff, but there's only a couple places where it would need to be changed."

"You gotta speak English with me, man."

"What if I could rewire the whole castle with your DNA so you could operate it? That way, if you wanted to wormhole and stuff, you could. The whole castle would be back online, and with the amount of power from those cats in there, it should get it back up and running."

 _Snap, he's actually really smart._ "that would be awesome! Voltron would be back in business." _Mostly_.

"Great! If I start now, I should have it done before the gathering party."

"What can I do?"

"Not really much. Rewiring's a one person job with this, and if we try to fix two circuits at once, it'll blow the whole system."

He didn't know what half of that meant, just that it sounded bad. "Mind if I head out then?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll let you know when I'm done."

He felt completely safe leaving Caden in an empty castle.

The gathering party was huge and amazing. The Alveri really knew how to party. A couple of the neighboring species came over just to see the magnificent paladins of Voltron, conveniently missing the fact that there were only three. Ari sulked in the back of the party, leaned up against the wall like an edgy emo (she pulled it off well). Will poorly parked his lion outside of the village and let people take pictures with it. Jesse introduced him to all the elders and some of the younger ones who wanted to be pilots because of Voltron. Lance knew he was blushing like crazy when some of them said they wanted to be just like him, the Black Paladin, leading the universe's biggest crusade for justice.

 _This is Shiro's place_ , he wanted to tell them. But they wouldn't know what a Shiro was.

Caden slipped in after dark, his face smudged with dirt and a smile. "The ship should be up and running, but now you're the only person who can test that. I had to take out the old DNA, so you'll be the only one who can fly it."

And so, the last bit of Allura in his life was gone. He smiled at Caden. "Thanks. I really appreciate it. We were sitting ducks even before we crash landed on your planet."

"I'm glad you did. We haven't had any reason to celebrate since the Galra left."

The Galra leaving seemed like a pretty good reason to celebrate.

Will and Jesse joined their little pow-wow, and Lance saw Ari making her way over, too. "So are you aliens enjoying yourselves?"

"Us? Aliens? You guys are the aliens." Will crossed his arms over his chest with a smile.

"You crash landed on my planet."

"You're yellow!"

"So are you." Jesse munched on his chicken-type thing.

Ari arrived, standing, arms crossed over her chest. "So are you guys gonna be the last two paladins?" Everyone went into shock. "What? Why didn't you tell them yet?"

"There's two paladins missing?" Caden asked, his voice filled with wonder.

"Yeah, it was crazy, there was this space battle, and they died a glorious death protecting the universe from Zarkon's evil," Will described.

"You weren't there," Ari pointed out.

"True. And now Lance is putting together a new Voltron team! Because Voltron is bigger than any one person." He held his arms up triumphantly, as if he'd just finished a compelling pep talk, instead of making Lance feel like the loneliest boy in the universe.

"But I didn't want to ask you." Lance straightened himself. "I can't ask you to leave. You're too important to your village, both of you. If I took you, who knows what would happen, especially if the Galra found out where you're from."

"The planet's more fortified then it looks," Jesse said with a sly smile. "Caden's pretty hip on all the Galra tech, and he re-programmed it after they left to defend _us_ instead of them. It's pretty genius, actually."

Ari looked like she was contemplating something.

"And besides, Will just said this whole fight is bigger then one person. Even if Voltron is just a symbol to rally hope now, instead of a fighting force, it's important that it's out there." Caden stood. "Daria will be fine. I want to join."

"Me, too." Jesse stood. "Even though I don't really have any idea how we'll be fighting."

"But that's the best part!" Will jumped up, bouncing all over the place. "You'd be a paladin and get your own lion! And then Lance would lead us and I'm sure Voltron is somewhere in there somewhere!"

"You said somewhere twice," Aria snapped.

"Don't patronize me," Will said.

Lance stood, making for all five of them standing. A real smile spread on his face. "Looks like team Voltron is getting back in business."


	6. Chapter 6 - Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork

Chapter 6 – Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork

Lance let the team rest for a day before plunging into the inner workings of Voltron.

There were a couple things he would've liked to know when he started flying Blue, and he knew he didn't have an answer for every question, like Allura or Pidge, but he hoped they wouldn't all be flying blind. He hadn't slept again, except for a couple half hours between exercises, but he had made it to level ten for the longsword. He felt like he could handle himself, but he knew he had to be at his very best to protect the team.

They hadn't left Daria, as the local populations had wholeheartedly agreed to let them stay and practice. Lance had been careful as to who to tell the whole situation to, and only had disclosed it to the one elder and the twins' parents. They'd been apprehensive but knew they couldn't stop the twins from going anyway, so might as well give consent.

Everyone assembled in the hangar, dressed in the paladin uniforms, color coordinated. He'd assigned everyone in the specific rooms, putting the uniforms in the day before. He could see each of them stealing glances at their lions. Will looked like he was going to wet himself he was so excited, while Ari stood stoic with her hands behind her back. She looked…worried.

He stood in front of the Black Lion, his hands on his hips. "These are the Voltron lions, but you already knew that. Together, somehow, they form Voltron. They were originally made out of a comet made of interdimensional material, making them virtually indestructible. The lions were created by King Alfore as the Red Paladin, and yes, Zarkon was originally the Black Paladin. I wasn't told who the other paladins were."

They watched him with wide eyes, even Will, who Lance had been sure would've bounced into his lion at this point. Good, he had a lot he needed to cover.

"The lions bond with their paladin. It's important to trust your lion, your team, and yourself. The lions have unimaginable powers, and you'll unlock each of them." He remembered the excitement of discovering Blue could spit ice, or when Pidge and Green had exploded a cube into vines. He wanted them to have that. "I'm not going to tell you what they are. Maybe you'll even discover a few that the original paladins hadn't used."

"We'll work on bonding with our lions to start with, as well as getting used to how to fly with them. Then we'll work on Voltron. Alright?" They nodded. "One last thing before you get in your lions. Here." One by one, he handed out the bayards. "These are the traditional weapons of the paladins. If you have another weapon that you're familiar with, it's okay to use that, too, but get used to whatever weapon your bayard is. It's custom made to the paladin, maybe something you don't even know how to use yet."

He thought to his longsword, and emphasized on the word _yet_.

Despite the intentional seriousness of the pep talk, he couldn't wait to see what weapons these new paladins would get. He eagerly looked at them transform.

Jesse's turned first. It grew into a long spear with a shiny, pointy end. He whipped it around a couple of times. "Hey! This is pretty cool!" He threw it at a wall, but it didn't make it all the way over there. Will snorted.

Caden's went next. The bayard glowed and turned into two small throwing stars. Caden looked down at them in wonder, his eyes wide. "I'm a ninja," he whispered to himself. He threw it at the same spot his brother had aimed at. It didn't hit its exact mark, but it lodged in the wall. With a tap of his hand, it appeared in his hand. "I'm a Voltron Ninja."

Will found himself with an impressive looking axe. "Hey! I can throw mine, too!" He threw it, and it clattered on the floor. He clapped his hands, but nothing happened. He went and retrieved it, a frown on his face.

Ari's hadn't formed yet. Her eyes were squeezed shut, as if she was blocking out bright light. "Get to your lions," Lance told them, and they all ran off laughing.

She opened her eyes and grunted in frustration. "I can't do this! The stupid thing won't change."

"Listen." He didn't remember Keith ever having trouble with his bayard. Maybe Red, but not the bayard. It was new. "Just focus. You are the Red Paladin. You need to trust yourself."

"What if I'm not the right person for this?"

"Or what if there's no one better?" He put his hands over hers, and she relaxed. "I believe that. You should, too."

The bayard turned into a shining longbow, accompanied by a sheath of silver arrows.

Ari gasped when she saw it, and Lance let go as she swung the bow around After practicing with it as hand weapon, she drew an arrow, pointed, and shot. He blew air through his lips. With a bit of practice, she'd be an excellent sharpshooter, but she could still protect herself up close. She seemed impressed with herself, too, and looked at him with expectation. He titled his head, and she ran off to Red. He turned and walked to Black.

The others had already flown off in their lions by the time Lance even sat at the Black Lion's helm. "We've come this far," he mused. "Just—just let it be easy. I don't think we can—"

The castle's alarm sounded, and Lance pulled it up on his screen. "What's going on?"

"Voltron!" The elder cried. "The Galra are attacking. This makes no sense! We have nothing of value to them, and they showed no sign of returning when they left!"

"We're on our way!" He closed out the call and opened the intercoms. "Alright team, change of plans. Some rogue Galra are attacking, and we're going to protect them. Got it?"

"Yeah!" They all responded.

He was in awe at how quickly they'd managed to gauge their powers. Although none of them had figured out their elemental powers yet, they pulled out their blades and fired lasers. "Alright, buddy. Anything new? Or same old?" The lion didn't move. "Same old it is then."

He joined the firefight, which quickly ended.

All the lions landed, facing the direction from whence they'd come. "That was easy," Will said.

"Think there's more?" Ari asked.

"Um, you guys? Look behind us?" Jesse screeched.

All the lions turned to see a giant metallic robot creeping towards the tiny village. It plowed everything over in its path, and it had two tubes full of purple liquid oozing inside. "It's moving pretty slow!" Caden said.

"We need to take it out before it reaches the village, otherwise it'll plow everything over in its path," Lance instructed, feeling quite powerful being the one giving orders. He wished it was in any other context, though.

"Right!" The others responded, and they all fought against the robot.

It pulled out a huge gun, and it didn't make sense to Lance, until he remembered seeing something very similar to it on TV back home. "Will! Get out of the way!"

"I've got a clear shot!"

"Will, that things gonna shoot!"

"I'm in a lion! It's fine! I can take it down."

"Will—"

The robot fired, and with a thud and fiery explosions, the Blue Lion fell to the ground. The others watched in silent anticipation. After a couple seconds, Will's voice came through the intercom. "What happened?"

"You disobeyed command, as always," Ari snapped.

"We'll worry about that later," Lance told her, and she didn't make another condescending comment. "Listen. This thing is too powerful for our individual strengths, so there's only one thing to do. Come on, fly up in formation, like an arrowhead."

They obeyed. "What's happening?" Caden asked.

"I think I know what comes next!" Will said in anticipation.

"Let's go, team!" Lance shouted. "Let's form Voltron!"

And they did.

"We're Voltron!" Will exclaimed.

"I'm a leg!" Jesse shouted.

"This is amazing!"

"This is unbelievable."

"Stay focused, guys."

With a flash and a crash, Voltron pounded to the ground in front of the robot, which didn't seem to take no for an answer. It reloaded its gun and prepared to fire again. "Pidge! No, Caden! Shield up!"

"How do I put the shield up?" Caden asked, but he didn't sound frantic.

"Use your bayard!"

"We can use our bayards?" Will exclaimed.

"Here goes nothing!"

In another flash, the shield went up, just in time for another blast. "Hold you ground!" Voltron skidded a bit more, then to a stop. The five paladins heaved, weary yet strong.

"We can't take that thing out with brute force, or just a shield," Jesse pointed out.

"I know this tech!" Caden yelled. "If we can stab it somehow through its weapons, all its systems will shut down. The power for the robot is in the weapon. It's actually quite genius, on the Galra part. Usually, you'd put the power source deep within, but no one would suspect it being there."

Lance blew air through his lips. "Alright, Ari, you're up."

"Aww, when do I get to be up?" Will whined.

"You'll get your shot." Lance gripped the handles tighter. "Use your bayard! Form sword!"

With another bright flash, the Red Lion revealed the sword. Without waiting for orders, the whole team plunged into action. Jesse and Will stood their ground as Caden blocked the next attack with the shield. In a split second, Ari plunged the sword deep into the robot's heart. It exploded in a brilliant purple flash.

As the debris fell, the five regained their breath. "Did we just do that?" Jesse asked.

"I think that was possibly the most exciting thing I've ever done," Will said, "And I've tried to kiss Ari!"

"Good work, team." Lance relaxed, feeling the weight of no sleep fall all at once. "You did good today."

"Are we seriously going to do that every day?" Caden asked. "Because I could go with doing that every day."

"We'll see what the Coalition needs. But, yeah, as far as Voltron goes, we'll be standing together pretty often."

"I can't wait to figure out all the cool stuff Blue can do!" Will exclaimed. "Race y'all back to the castle!"

Voltron disbanded in a millisecond, and Lance landed the Black Lion on the ground. He could see the four lions swirling above, colors intertwining in the race to space. "We really are a good team." He started to choke up, but honestly, felt too tired for tears.


	7. Chapter 7 - Odd Numbers

Chapter 7 – Odd Numbers

Lance slicked his hair back with the green goop. He'd spotted Coran doing the same one time to his moustache, and he hoped it wasn't just for Altean hair. He needed to look especially nice for the Coalition meeting in a couple minutes. He frowned at his reflection, thinking he looked like an emo. Like he had a fringe. He scrunched it up slightly, and he liked that wet dog look a bit better. Worst case scenario, he could convince the Coalition this was the height of fashion back on Earth, and he couldn't possibly know any better.

His suit beeped, so he quickly slid his gloves back on and walked to the bridge.

The other paladins were already in their positions, waiting for the meeting to begin. He'd tried to say in a nice way that they should just leave the talking to him, but he felt like a big meanie when he did. He'd left it at that, hoping Ari would get the rest of the message to them.

Over the last week he'd reserved for training before the meeting, she'd been a great ally. He still wondered how she, a pretty human, had managed to get all the way out in space without Earth being discovered. Humanity was such a unique species in space, and with human paladins, he supposed Zarkon would've tried to exploit her sooner. He could've gone with meeting her sooner, too. She and Keith would've been good friends.

She and the others looked like they had taken special care to freshen up as well. Ari's curls bounced, and the twins had styled their hair in a tight bun in the back. Will had tried, so he wasn't going to criticize the wannabe fringe he wore. For goodness sakes, his hair looked like a controlled rat's nest. He could do better next time.

The four members of the Coalition appeared on the screen. They looked on expectantly, seemingly relaxed at the four new people in the room in proper attire. Lance put his hands behind his back, sensing a great power standing in Allura's normal spot on the bridge. "Voltron is back. But I'm guessing you already know that."

"The victory at Daria was a pleasant surprise," one commented. "Excellent to have Voltron back in the fight."

"What is our next move?"

Man, had Allura seriously made all the decisions for this group? Lance took a moment. "What are the positions for the remaining rogue generals?" It would be smart to take them out first, then see if there were any other bigger threats that required a mobile Voltron. But the Coalition leaders just looked at each other quizzically, as if in wonder that they should know the answer to that. Lance glanced at Caden.

He jumped slightly. "That's me. Intel." With a couple clicks, the map of the four remaining generals appeared on the screen. "You all should be able to see it."

The Coalition leaders seemed to be looking down at it, smiling. "They should not be a problem if they are individualized."

"Then we should attack now!" Will jumped up. "Voltron's ready."

"Will," Lance whispered harshly.

"Do we have anything better we need to do?" He asked innocently.

The Coalition members seemed to be thinking the same thing. They looked at him expectantly, and he put his hands on his hips, as unprofessional as that was. "Voltron isn't at full strength right now. We need to take out smaller targets and work out way up to the generals. But we need to keep an eye on them, just to make sure they're not trying anything funny. And if they are doing damage, we'll get Lotor to take care of it."

"We're trusting that guy?" Jesse mumbled.

"We better not," Caden whispered.

"Shh!" Ari hissed.

"Don't tell me what to do, Red."

"We'll see where we are a week from now," Lance said, trying to turn their attention from the rowdy paladins back to the matter at hand. "Voltron should be ready for heavy battle by then."

The Coalition leaders didn't seem convinced. "Yes…I'm sure it will. Good luck."

"Thanks." They hung up, and Lance whipped around. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Will asked.

"You were supposed to give the impression that we actually know what we're doing, and Caden was the only one that said anything along those lines! They're going to think we're just a bunch of kids who don't know what they're doing!"

"But we are a bunch of kids who don't know what we're doing," Jesse said, his head low. Lance reminded himself not to yell. He was the leader, and as the leader, he had to keep his cool.

"Maybe you don't," Ari mumbled. "But some of us have actually been paying attention."

"Say that to my face, carrot top." Caden stood.

"Guys," Lance warned.

"You heard me, lady locks. Maybe if you and your twinsie were taking things seriously, we might actually be able to get stuff done. Thank goodness we're not fighting the Galra anymore, or the whole universe would be screwed."

"I know what I'm doing! I'm the smartest one here!" Caden screamed.

"Yeah, and about that! How exactly do you know how Galra tech works? It's not like you were working on their bases. And the last thing we need is for the bad guys to have an inside man."

Caden looked shocked, then angry. "That doesn't excuse for how you're so far in space! You're a human! At least Lance has a good reason, but you're just here, and we're supposed to accept that?"

Ari didn't have an answer for that. "Well, Will is here too!" She spat.

"Will's an idiot. You could tell me he accidentally shot himself up in a rocket and I'd believe you."

"Hey! I was abducted."

"My point stands."

Ari stood. "I don't need to sit here and be bullied by some yellow alien who thinks they can—"

"Stop it! Both of you." Lance stood between them, his arms out. "We can't fight. The worst that can happen is that we're torn apart from the inside." Caden looked down, contrite. Ari stormed out of the room. Lance put his arms down. "Well, that went well."

"She's such a hothead," Jesse complained.

"It's a Red Lion thing. Listen." He turned so he could see all of them. "Maybe I didn't see it at first, but you're all perfect for your lions. Know that your teammate is here as legitimately as you are. Make an effort to connect."

"But she's such a pain," Caden complained, plopping in his seat.

"The sooner we're all working as a team, the sooner we can get out there. But I'm not going to put any of you in the heat of battle until you're sorted out."

"That'll take forever," Will said, "because I've been trying to be friends with Ari for years and we've just kindave gotten worse."

"I'm not going to tell you how to work it out. But if you can't bond as paladins, your lions won't be able to, either."

They didn't look too happy with that resolution.


	8. Chapter 8 - Tightly Knit

Chapter 8 – Tightly Knit

Lance stayed facedown on his bed for a while. Not sleeping, just internally screaming. Moving to Shiro's old room had comforted him in ways he couldn't comprehend, and he wondered if Shiro had laid facedown on the bed after one of the many fights between him and Keith. He hadn't realized how annoying his bickering must've been. He hoped Caden and Ari would just resolve their issues, so he wouldn't have to.

Probably not, though.

His suit dinged, and he straightened himself. One of the Coalition leaders appeared on his little screen. "Talk to me."

"A planet in our system is under attack by a group of pirates. They have a superweapon that none of our forces can defeat. We need Voltron now!"

His eyebrow raised, seeing the huge robot. It didn't look as sophisticated as anything the Galra created, but it did get the job done. Its massive force didn't change the truth. "Voltron's not strong enough to take down anything like that." He saw his bayard from across the room. "The Black Lion is on its way."

"We'll take what we can get."

"Level one, commencing."

Ari readied her bow as three holographic sentries rushed towards her. She ducked and rolled under one, knocking it off its feet. She readied and arrow and shot at the second, missing entirely. "No!" The third knocked her off her feet, and they all disappeared. She took a couple seconds to recuperate, then stood again. "Pull up training targets." A target ten feet away appeared, and she aimed at it. "How does anyone get past level one?" She wondered aloud. After taking a couple seconds to aim, she fired. It wasn't a bull's eye, but it was on the target. She took a couple steps back.

"Not bad."

She looked behind to see Caden walking in, green bayard in hand. She rolled her eyes and re-focused on the task at hand. "Don't patronize me."

"I'm serious. If you're that good as an armature, nobody's going to stand a chance at the expert you."

She fired again, hitting the target in about the same spot. "If there's something you want to say, don't dance around it."

"Just coming to practice."

A second target came up, and Caden gripped his stars. He threw it full force, and it bounced on a far wall. He growled and tried the second, with the same results.

Ari's third arrow went to the other side of the target. "Twist and flick."

"Huh?"

"It's like skipping stones. It doesn't need a lot of force to be really powerful."

"So you're an expert on my weapon now?"

"Just trying to be nice."

"Well, stop trying." Caden tapped his arm, and the stars reformed in his hands. He looked down. "Look, I'm sorry for what I said on the bridge. I'm sure you have a legitimate reason for being a human this far in space."

"See, that's the thing." She ran back another ten feet and aimed. "I don't." She fired her arrow, and it whizzed over the target. "I have no idea where I came from, and I don't have a family to call my own. I just remember living on Haza, and that's it."

"Sorry."

"Not that you would know what that's like, because you grew up in a village with a huge family and every fawning over how smart you are." She fired again, but it still missed by a couple inches. "Must be nice to be needed."

"You're needed, too. Just in a different way." Caden looked down at his stars. "Lance trusts you. I mean, he trusts all of us, but he trusts you in a different way. You're his right hand man." He paused. "Girl. That's pretty cool."

She glanced at her bow. "Yeah. I guess that is pretty cool."

Caden flicked his wrist, and the star soared across the room. It stuck itself in the far left side of the target, and he jumped up. "I did it!" He blushed and smiled at Ari. "Thanks for the tip."

Ari's face grew even more red. She flung her hair so he couldn't see her cheeks and prepared to fire again. "Whatever." She shot, hitting the target again. "I think I'm good for now."

"Me, too. I just wanted to hit something."

"What, so that when we're in battle, nobody has to babysit you?"

"You try to configurate the whole castle so everybody gets the right amount of oxygen, Red."

"I think I'll leave that up to you." He bumped her shoulder playfully, and she stepped back, rubbing it and smiling. Suddenly, an alarm sounded. "My money's on the blue one," Caden said.

Sure enough, Will's voice came through the coms. "Guys! We've got a problem."

"What did you do?"

"Not what I did! Lance is in the middle of a firefight a planet away, and it's not looking good."

"Why would he go in alone?" Ari asked incredulously.

"Because we weren't working as a team," Caden answered in wonder.

The two looked at each other for a moment. In unison, they nodded. "Are you guys deciding something? Because Jesse and I have no idea what to do."

Ari stood her ground. "Get to your lions! We're gonna go help our leader."

Lance knew it hadn't been the smartest idea to fight off space pirates alone, but he didn't have a choice. Bringing Voltron would've been even more detrimental, and he was a master at putting off his problems until the last minute. Besides, shooting a living Godzilla was way more fun then trying to rally the team.

Except Robot Godzilla refused to die.

He pulled up the Coalition member who'd contacted him. "You need to get the surrounding people to safety! Get them off the planet."

"Yes, sir!"

And Robot Godzilla was at it again. He'd managed to make a few impressive dents with his knife, but it wasn't "cutting" it. RG's beam knocked him off his feet, and he spiraled opposite the village. The robot spiraled towards him.

Suddenly, a beam from the sky cut through, knocking the robot off its feet. Four lions flew through the sky.

"Having a party without us?" Ari asked.

"We need to take out this robot. Caden, specs!"

"It's laser isn't anything special, but it's made out of tin, which isn't indestructible, but we're not going to cut through it with our puny mouth blades."

"We're going to do the thing!" Will screeched with excitement.

"Alright, guys. Let's form Voltron!"

It didn't take long for the giant robot to take down the evil giant robot. With a couple flicks of the sword, Robot Godzilla stumbled to the ground. After taking a couple seconds to breathe, Lance pulled up his coms. "The robot's down. Civilians can stay and fend off the pirates, but send in your forces just in case. The paladins will assist on the ground."

"Time for some hand to hand combat!" Will said excitedly, quickly pulling away from Voltron. He skipped out of his lion, axe in hand, screaming like a bloody maniac.

"Hey, Will! Wait up!" And Jesse spiraled after him.

The other two were still in their lions. "You two good?" He asked.

Caden waited on Ari, who took a second to breathe. "Yeah, we're good."

"Great." Lance got out of his lion and joined the others.

Caden and Ari waited a second. "I'm not a traitor, Red," Caden said softly.

"I know. You're just—you're really smart, and I guess I was just mad." Her next words stuck in her throat, as she didn't say them that often. "I'm sorry."

"It's all good. And who knows? I think along the way, we'll figure out who your family is."

Ari genuinely smiled at that thought. "Thanks, Caden. You're—you're actually a good friend. I don't think I've had one before."

They exited their lions and joined the ground fight.


	9. Chapter 9 - Matter

Chapter 9 - Matter

"Here's the plan." Lance whipped his hair to make sure he looked fabulous. Everyone but Ari looked on in awe, but he'd expected as much. "The planet Kalaka needs a bunch of supplies that the Coalition has and is willing to give, but they're in an area where rogue Galra and space pirates have been. So, we're going to form Voltron and give them some cover."

"Sounds good," Caden said. "It's actually kindave nice. We get to practice being Voltron without actually being in a life or death situation."

"Speak for yourself." Will crossed his arms. "I kinda prefer the adrenaline of the moment. It's all, pew pew! Destroy the enemy! Then take pictures with all the adoring fans."

"Sorry if I have a bit of life preservation," Caden mumbled. He whispered something in Alverian to Jesse, who had to slap his hand over his mouth to hold a laugh.

Will turned bright red. "You're talking about me!"

Caden shook his head. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Jesse literally rolled on the floor laughing. "Oh my gosh you're so right!"

"Well while you two are talking in your made-up language, Ari and I are just going to have a private conversation. In English. Without you."

Ari snickered and said something in Alveri.

"Are you kidding me?"

"It's not a hard language. If you just applied yourself, just for a day, you'd pretty much understand everything. There's, what, sixteen letters?"

"Fifteen," Jesse answered, "unless you count Essa, which I don't, because that just makes things a ton more complicated. It sounds really good. They won't tell you in books, but whenever you make an English R sound, roll it. So you sound like a motorboat. It helps, so you can talk WAY faster."

Ari snapped, and Jesse stopped rattling. "I thought something was off."

Will looked up helplessly. "Lance!"

"Alright, guys, bring it back. Any questions?"

They shook their heads. "Awesome. Then get to your lions. We're gonna give this a shot."

They left the bridge, and he put his hands out tentatively. The two columns rose under his hands, and he felt like a king. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Focus." He thought of his bed. "No, not on that. Focus on making a wormhole." _Stupid brain_. "Concentrate." He thought hard about the Coalition base on Olkarion. "Come on."

A wormhole shot out in front of the ship. He smirked. "Well that's more like it."

If he heard Will complain one more time about "are we there yet?" he was going to jump out of his lion and physically take back the Blue Lion. Ari had turned off her coms moments after forming Voltron, a feature he hadn't even known about. Jesse and Caden chatted in Alverian, and Will couldn't stand the silence.

Every now and then, he would check in on the pilots. "All good?"

"Good here. Up there?"

"All good."

And there went any conversation with a normal person.

"Are we there yet?"

Lance settled back in his seat. "We will get there when we get there."

"I thought being in Voltron meant space battles and life or death situations! But this is just boring my brain."

"I know it's not that glamorous or exciting. But being a part of Voltron is more than just saving the day. Voltron gives hope." He paused. "Don't worry. How about when we get back, you and I beat up some sentries in the training room."

He perked up. "Awesome."

"Voltron!" The supplies ship came through. "Incoming!"

Lance adjusted his scanners, and sure enough, two enemy ships were approaching, with impressive looking guns he'd never seen before. "We're on it!" He flipped them off. "Alright, team. We've got ships coming in straight ahead. Form sword!"

Nothing happened.

"Form…sword?"

"Ari manually turned off her coms system!" Caden reported.

"Can you turn them back on?"

"She installed a virus to block any attack." He had to be joking. On of the ships fired its gun, and a red laser spewed out. Caden gasped. "That's lava! Only a laser."

"How does that help us not die?" Will screeched.

"Unless we slice through it, our firepower isn't going to do any good, it'll just power that thing more!"

"Uhh, it's going to fire again! What do we do?"

"Voltron! We need cover!" The supplies ship coms came through.

"We're on it! Voltron, disband."

"Why would we do that?" Jesse screeched. "Aren't we stronger together?"

"Not without Ari." The team disbanded. "Alright, Will, you're up."

"WHAT?"

"Thought you liked the _heat_ of battle," Caden mumbled.

"Not like this!"

"Will, listen to me. Is your lion glowing?"

He paused. "Uh, yeah! It is!"

"What is it telling you to do?"

Silence for a couple moments. Suddenly, Will gasped. "My bayard!"

"Um, should we be fighting that thing?" Jesse asked.

"Stand down," Lance commanded. Will sprung into action. With a single leap, he spewed ice at the two ships, and they exploded.

No one said anything. The supplies ship came through. "Both targets are obliterated. Let's move on."

The Black Lion's coms sputtered for a moment. "What's up?" Ari asked.

"Well, thanks for showing up now!" Caden said.

"Where'd that ice come from?"

"Me!" Will said proudly. "Well, my lion, but we're technically one person now, so me."

"Huh."

Lance put his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "Ari. Don't turn off your coms anymore. How did you not see that there was an attack coming? We needed you."

"Was Will as annoying as I thought he'd be?"

He shrugged. "Technically, yes, but that's beside the point."

"Fine. But I'm keeping my volume down low."

"Just pay attention."

"Do all our lions have elemental powers?" Caden asked excitedly.

"I—"

"Ari's is fire! It's gonna be fire because her lion's red. Ooh, and Caden! I bet you have something to do with leaves."

"Leaves?"

"Because you're green. Lance, what's Jesse's?"

"I dunno. Hunk hadn't unlocked it yet."

"I bet it'll be super cool. What about the Black Lion?"

He paused. "I don't think it has one."

"Well, that's stupid. Why would you program four lions with elemental powers, but not the top one? That's dumb."

Lance didn't think Allura would've liked some scrawny blond insulting King Alfore's greatest achievement, but the argument made sense to him. "I guess we'll find out. Like I told you. You'll be learning about your lions, and you may unlock powers that the paladins before you didn't know about." He eased on the controls. "Alright. Let's try this again. Form Voltron!"


	10. Chapter 10 - Red and Black

Chapter 10 – Red and Black

The Yellow Lion's elemental power turned out to be electricity.

It was helpful in their most recent fight against a band of rogues, as their ships were completely powered by electricity, and frying their circuits put down the whole system almost instantly. Caden had nearly gone crazy from nerding out, and insisted they all take a rest day so he could devote her time to figuring out the limits of this new power. Jesse and Will offered to help him.

Lance felt an emptiness in his stomach, and isolated himself because of it. He knew what the first part was. Why couldn't it be air? He didn't know how that would've worked out (and no one else would've understood the reference), but having Earth, water, fire, and air lions would've made his life complete.

And second. Hunk hadn't found out that power while he was Yellow's paladin, and while he wanted to be happy to see the new paladins growing, he couldn't help but miss his best friend even more.

Ari didn't make it easier.

"I read somewhere that the Black and Red paladins are supposed to be tightly knit. So I think we should train together."

Yeah, Shiro and Keith had been inseparable, even in death. He agreed.

She wasn't too bad with her bow, even though she'd only had it for a couple weeks. He figured she trained about as much as he did. The others weren't as keen on training with their weapons as they were getting to know their lions, so most of the time, the training room was empty.

"Simulation one, commencing."

Four drones and five sentries appeared. Lance tensed up, his grip tightening on the longsword. He heard Ari's bow snap behind him and sprung into action.

The first sentry—holding a blaster—went down quickly, but not so with the second one. It kept avoiding his attacks. At one point, he spiraled behind it, stabbing its back. He looked up, seeing Ari surrounded by the drones and viciously wasting her arrows on an especially quick sentry. Without thinking, he gripped his bayard as it turned into his sniper. He took out two of the drones and shot the sentry in the back. It faltered just long enough for her to take it out with an arrow.

They met back at the center, backs touching. She took about ten arrows to shoot down the last two drones while he took out a sentry with his gun. They faced the same way to take out the last two sentries. He used his longsword, and she snapped her bowstring around its neck.

"Simulation complete."

She held out her bayard. "You can change this thing?"

He breathed heavily. "I can. I don't know if you can. None of the other paladins did, but one day in training, it just happened. Naturally, I guess."

"Just gotta be better then the rest of us, don't you?" He stared at her, not quite believing that had just come out of her mouth. "I'm kidding. That was a joke. I'm joking."

"Sorry."

"No. My bad."

"Simulation two, commencing."

Together, they took about two minutes to finish the second simulation.

"You're doing really well," he complimented her. "Your footing is perfect for the bow."

"I was copying you," she mumbled.

"Yeah, the kick from the gun would be pretty similar."

"Did the other paladins have a bow?"

He shook his head. "Keith had a sword of some kind. But not a longsword."

"So…his name was Keith?" He froze, and she titled her head. "The last red paladin?"

"He wasn't the last one. But he was the best one."

"Sorry for asking."

"No, it's fine."

"I just—I don't want to—to—"

"What?"

"I don't know. Make you uncomfortable."

Lance sat on the ground, taking a drink. "You're fine."

"I just—I feel so confused sometimes. Like I have no idea what I'm doing. I know you're doing the best you know to do, but you don't even know everything about the lions."

He nodded. "It's a learning experience."

"I hate it."

"Me too. I wish the other paladins were still here."

She sat across from him, taking a quick sip. "If you don't mind me asking…what happened to them?" He didn't know what his face looked like, but she quickly drew back. "You don't need to answer that. Sorry."

"It's okay. I just—I don't really know." She leaned in. "We—all the original paladins, and then some—we were all on an undercover mission. I was there for drop off and pick up with Red. We weren't in our uniforms."

"Which is why we still have uniforms."

"And the bayards. Shiro told us to come unarmed." His throat stuck like stale peanut butter. "Everything was going to plan—until someone attacked. I don't know who. They were wearing masks, and we never did beat one. I couldn't get in to get them. A wormhole opened, and I went through it. I saw the Black Lion coming back, but when it got to the castle—" He coughed to hold back choking tears "—they were gone."

She looked down, silent. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"I asked—because you seem really depressed. Except when we're Voltron, then you're okay. I just—I used to be like that. Until I met Will, and then I had too much on my mind."

"I'm—still working through it. I appreciate you looking out for me, but I'm really okay."

 _Liar_.

"That's really weird, though. You'd think they were in the Black Lion."

"That's what I thought. But they weren't. I searched the whole thing."

"Did you find their bodies?"

 _Good God_. "Ari, I don't really want to talk about this."

"I'm just—trying to understand. You're not going to get better until you get closure."

"I don't need to get better. That's the thing about being a paladin of Voltron—you don't matter. You have to keep your eyes on the big picture, or everything falls apart." He stood. "But thanks for checking up on me. You're a good friend."

She didn't smile, just kept her eyes on the ground. "Thanks. You too."


	11. Chapter 11 - Folding Space and Time

Chapter 11 – Folding Space and Time

Will wasn't half bad with his axe hand-to-hand. Lance watched proudly as the blond boy took out sentry after sentry without batting an eye, occasionally pulling out his weapon to push one back. He knew how to use his small form, and he liked that about him and Ari. Growing up in a rough and tumble place taught them how to fight.

On the flip side, Caden and Jesse couldn't care less. He needed to talk to them about that.

Once all the hologram sentries were gone, Will looked up with a bright and eager smile. "How'd I do?"

Lance gestured. "Do you see any sentries? I'm thinking you did pretty good."

"Heck yeah!"

"One thing to remember. Keep your mind on your feet as well as your hands. If your feet get out of wack, you'll topple over, and you can't fight with your back against the floor, k?"

He nodded firmly. "Can I try again?"

"Yeah."

"Level three, commencing."

He started fighting. "I think we could—" pant pant "—maybe add an ice cream machine to the kitchen—" gasp gasp "—I think that would really do it for me—" sucking in air "—and Ari's never had ice cream before—" knocked over, but that wouldn't stop him from talking "—and I think she'd really be a better person after something that sweet—"

A sentry zoomed in out of his line of sight, and Lance dove in with his longsword, slicing it in half. The amount of sentries doubled for the both of them, and he got ready. "That sounds—" whoosh "—like a great idea—" duck and roll "—maybe check out space mall—" kick a sentry in the face "—and see what they got—"

They finished off the last in the level and high fived. "That was awesome. Someone needs to turn on the air conditioning in here. It's really hot."

"That's because you're in here."

Will blushed. "Heck! Well, you're sharper then your sword."

"You're cooler then your lion."

"You're cuter then Ari." Lance gaped. Will leaned in and whispered. "With a pixie cut."

"Oh my gosh did that happen?"

He nodded, eyes wide. "I thought I was going to die on the floor because I literally could not breathe! Man, how am I still single?"

"How badly did you mess it up with her?"

"Dude, I feel like such an idiot sometimes! Like, she doesn't even need anyone, so how am I supposed to add anything."

"Take it from someone who's pretty expendable." He put his hand on his shoulder, pausing for dramatic effect. "I have literally no idea I never figured it out."

Will snapped. "I figured there wasn't a solution." They laughed. "But seriously could you imagine Jesse's face if we set up a full on cafeteria in the lounge? Ooh! We could set up a fire pit. In the middle. And just make s'mores. All night long. It would be awesome. And you're a cool leader, so we can do that, right?"

"So long as you don't burn the ship down."

"YES!"

"Hey, guys?" Caden came through on the intercom. "Head over to the bridge. There's something you're gonna wanna see."

Lance stood, thinking he looked quite awesome. "We're on our way."

"It just shouldn't be like that."

They all studied a colorful screen in the bridge. Two planets side by side, one with bright blues and purples and the other dark gray, were pictured side by side. A bar graph was on the side, but they weren't looking at that.

Will was confused, per usual. "Shouldn't be like what? What are we looking at? The stars? C'mon, you guys know I need a lot more exposition then that."

"The planet's dying," Jesse explained, "and we don't know why."

He tapped his foot annoyingly. "And…what does that have to do with us?"

"Being the protectors of the universe and everything—"

"—and having nothing better to do," Ari mumbled.

Caden ignored the interruption. "—it's our job to make sure that everyone's safe. I've been monitoring planets in our vicinity, and this one's got a lot of inhabitants on it that are reaching certain death. This planet used to be under Galra control, but now it's not, so it doesn't really make sense why it's still dying."

"It's still dying?!" Will said.

"Don't you know anything?" Caden gestured at the graph. "Look. The right side is the quintessence that it should have for the amount of life it's sustaining. This is how much it does have. Even though it's not being sapped by Galra forces anymore, it's still decreasing. It'll eventually collapse in on itself, killing everyone on the planet and within a hundred mile vicinity. Not that any other planets are nearby, but they won't be able to escape on their own."

"Math, my old nemesis," Lance mumbled to himself. "How much time do we have?"

"Four vargas, max."

"Alright. Here's the plan. I'm going to wormhole us out there and stay with the ship, keeping it open. The rest of you are going to shuttle people in your lions through the wormhole back to Daria, k?" They nodded emphatically. "Alright, get to your lions."

Holding the wormhole was harder then expected. Allura had made it look easy. Maybe Caden and Jesse could take a look at it when they got back. He had no idea how they'd tweak it, though. Maybe he could find some of those five hour energies, or add a coffee bar to Will's list of food improvements.

"That's almost everyone," Ari reported. "Just another batch. Will's getting it."

"Heck yeah I am!" Will exclaimed. "I think I've had more beautiful ladies on board my lion then ever before, and let me tell you, those lovely citizens on Kalaka were really fawning on me, but I told them, no, no, I'm a paladin of Voltron, and I must consolidate myself for the mission at hand."

They paused. "Okay now I want to turn off my coms," Caden said.

"Yeah, and that turned out well," Jesse mumbled.

Lance could hear Ari's eye roll in her voice. "Point is, I still have my sanity."

"Guys!" Will asked in a panicked voice. "WhAt iS tHaT?" Lance focused on the Blue Lion's newly installed camera (thanks to Ari, actually, she wanted to keep tabs on Will) to see a gigantic monster emerging from the planet's collapsing crust. It hurled a green, smoking ball of flames at the Blue Lion. "I'm hit!" Will screeched.

"Hold your position!" Lance commanded. "Guys, give him some cover. Caden, Jesse, give me some stats on that thing. And Ari, make sure he gets through the wormhole."

"Got it!"

"That's insane!" Caden exclaimed. "The acids in the fireball that Will stepped into are made of the same gases from the planet's atmosphere!"

"I did NOT step into it!"

"You didn't dodge it either, man," Jesse pointed out.

"That doesn't—"

"What's that mean?" Lance interrupted. He felt clueless when it came to the science-y stuff.

"That's just the thing. If the monster just emerged from the surface, where the gases aren't, then it just compressed and charged the gases from a molecular level! Meaning it can reload its guns way faster then we can!"

"Argh!" Ari didn't sound good. "Lance! Would be really good to have someone experienced out here!"

"HeY NOW—"

She was right. Will landed in the castle, and he made a quick plan. "Okay, listen. Here's the plan. Caden, can will operate the castle? Since he has human DNA?"

"It's compatible, yes."

"Will, get on the bridge. I want you to keep the wormhole open. I'll be out there in a couple ticks, alright? We're gonna take this monster down and get out of there."

"Why don't they just get out of there?" Will asked obliviously.

"The monster's made of the same material as the planet, oddly enough. It's like the chemical reactions inside the planet actually made life. Either way, the explosion won't kill it, and it'll just float to the nearest planet and start attacking. Who knows how much damage it could cause?"

"Okay, I get it, you nerd. It's not on the table." Will walked into the bridge. "So what exactly do I do?"

"Just put your hands on the columns." Will's hands slipped under his, and he ran towards the elevators. "Don't move! If you're away from the column—y—thingies for too long, the wormhole'll collapse, okay?"

"I got it, I got it! C'mon, you're acting like I wasn't born for this moment!" The elevators closed, and Lance slipped on his helmet, only to hear Will's closing remark "this moment is really boring."

He flew out through the wormhole in the Black Lion. He patted it. "Alright, buddy, let's see what damage you can do!"

Even between the four of them, the monster was too quick. "Ari! You've got Red. He's quick. Get in pursuit, circle him around, and we'll intercept it along the way."

"Got it!"

"Alright, guys, let's go!"

The monster circled around, and Lance made sure to keep its attention. Caden and Jesse shot it with full power, and it exploded.

"Got 'im!" Jesse announced.

"Great work. Now let's—"

"Form Voltron!" Will finished. They were silent for a couple moments. "What?"

Lance took a deep breath. "Will."

"Yeah?"

"Why are you in your lion? In space?"

"Because you guys sounded like you needed help."

"So who's keeping the wormhole open?"

"Um." They all looked back into deep space, where the wormhole used to be. "Oops."

There was a small intake of breath.

"WILL."

"YOU TWAT—"

"WE ARE LITERALLY STUCK IN SPA—"

"THIS IS JUST LIKE ON DARIA WHEN—"

"Okay! Geez, I get it. Chill, we're in our lions! I'd like to see an exploding planet take us on."

"Actually, the force is going to kill us all if we don't get out of range. It'll essentially decompose our lions' molecules, so not only have you managed to kill us all, William, but thanks to your complete idiocy, Voltron's gone, too!" Caden took a deep breath. "I should've just stayed on Daria," he mumbled to himself.

"Well, SO-RRY, but it's not like the instructions were amazingly clear or something!"

"uM BOY—"

"Ari you haven't yelled at me this whole time, are you okay?"

"We're actually gonna die," she said in a small voice, but sarcasm took over. "About time."

"I don't think you're properly freaking out because I'm running the scans too and there's no way we make it out of here alive!" Jesse screeched.

Lance hadn't been listening to most of it. The insertion for the black bayard was glowing. He looked down at his hand, not remembering what the Black Lion's power was with the bayard. "Welp, here goes nothing." He shoved it in, turned it, and hoped for the best.

A wormhole shot out in front of him.

The other paladins were in shock. "Lance! Did you just make that?"

"Go!"

All the lions quickly flew through the wormhole, and Lance pulled his bayard out immediately, closing the wormhole. They never heard the explosion.

They were silent for a couple seconds. Then Will exploded. "We're NOT dead!"

"I didn't know the Black Lion could do that!" Jesse said.

"That makes two of us," Lance replied.

"MATTER!" Caden screamed.

Will screeched and jumped. "Holy guacamole. Warn a guy, dude. Also, what?"

"You know how all the lions have elemental association? How Will can shoot ice and Ari fire and me plant-y stuff and Jesse energy? I think that's what Lance's is! Matter!"

"I don't follow…"

"Will, when you make a wormhole, you're essentially crunching matter between two points so you can travel billions of light years in a single second. The Black Lion can do that."

"So, wait. We can go anywhere we want to AS Voltron?"

"I'll have to run some tests, see if we can make wormholes as Voltron, or if it's just a Black Lion thing." Caden sounded much excited. "This'll make it so much easier to save planets and stuff! We can be anywhere in the universe in seconds."

"Alright," Lance said, bringing it back in. "Definitely something we'll wanna look in. Plan is to train and figure out what our lions can do over the next couple days, and if any distress calls come in, we'll respond immediately, alright?"

"Sounds like a plan. I could use a break," Jesse said.

"You didn't even do anything!"

"Will, we wouldn't have Voltron without both of us being legs. We can _always_ use a break."

"I can't argue with that logic!"

Lance stepped into the training room, where Ari practiced intently with moving targets. He leaned on a column and watched her for a bit. Despite looking straight in his direction at one point, she didn't acknowledge him until all the floating orbs were on the floor. They disappeared, and she started collecting her arrows.

He picked one up and handed it to her. "You okay?"

"Fine."

"Really?"

She paused. "Do you want to have a touchy-feeling time?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, that's what I was going for." She kept collecting her arrows. "You—you didn't talk a lot on the field today."

"I guess I froze."

"Why's that?"

She paused. "I—I guess I got scared. I thought we were gonna die."

"And—you haven't thought that before?"

"I guess so," she mumbled, "but it didn't matter as much."

He knew he was pushing, but if they didn't get through it, he knew she'd explode at some point, and he couldn't afford that. "What do you mean?"

Ari looked like she was puzzling that out for herself. "I've been in a lot of life-or-death situations. Mostly on Haza. I just—it didn't matter if I lived or not now." She motioned, aggravated with how she couldn't convey how she was feeling properly. "I just—I know you could find another red paladin, but I just—for the first time, I think I like living."

He smiled. "I'm proud of you."

She blushed, and quickly rubbed her cheeks, as if that would get rid of it. "What about you? Shooting wormholes and stuff."

"It's—it's pretty neat. I just—Shiro and Keith were much better Black Paladins, but they didn't figure out how to wormhole. And Hunk didn't know he could shoot lightning. I guess—I don't get why the lions pick and choose who gets to use what power."

"I don't either. They sure are weird machines." She shuffled her arrows into her quiver, turning away. "But for the record, I think you're the best black paladin ever. Or whatever." She walked out of the training center quickly, rubbing her cheek.

Lance smiled at where she'd left. His suit started beeping, and he tapped his wrist. A hologram call popped up, and he scowled, seeing a familiar face on the screen.

Lance liked most people. He understood that they were going through their own problems, and everyone had a backstory behind every decision, even if you didn't see it yet. Heck, even Zarkon and Haggar were dealing with long exposure to quintessence; he missed his lion. Lance understood that. He missed Blue more than he could imagine. And they didn't know that quintessence would pollute their minds! In Lance's mind, everyone could have a redemptive arc. Everyone deserved a second chance.

That in mind, he absolutely despised this guy.

"Voltron. So glad you've reformed," Lotor said smoothly. "I think it's about time we reconnected. Don't you?"


	12. Chapter 12 - Carazon

Chapter 12 - Carazon

"Okay, listen. Slight change of plans. You all know who Lotor is, right?" They grimaced. "Great, I'll take that as a yes. Listen. He's kindave reached out and wants to be friends with us. And since he's technically the Emperor or whatever of the Galra Empire now, we have to be friends with him, or he'll kill us all."

Ari looked confused. "But he's a Galra."

"Not all Galra are bad," Lance reminded her. "The second red paladin was half Galra."

Caden squinted. "Okay, I agree with not all Galra being bad, obviously, but I don't know about this Lotor guy. I haven't met him, no. But I've seen the propaganda and I know what he's done with the empire since he's been in charge, and it's really not that great."

"Yeah, if he was so interested in peace, why didn't he just connect with you guys when he was first in charge?" Jesse said. "Seems like he's just out for his own interests."

"Whatever the case," Lance said, "we've got to be nice to him. He's kindave annoying sometimes, so just keep your cool. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it." He smirked. "Gosh, I sound like my mama."

"What does he want?" Ari asked.

"Let's find out."

Lance strategically placed his paladins around him. He stood in the center of the control pad. Jesse and Caden on his left, Ari as his right hand man. Girl. Whatever. Right hand person; it wasn't important. Will stood next to Ari, near to the edge, so Ari could potentially push him out of the shot if need be.

The hologram buzzed to life in the control room, and Lotor appeared on the screen, smiling sweetly. Lance could see his team tensing up, and he stood taller. If he lost his cool, they all would, and he didn't know what the consequences of that would be.

"Voltron. Excellent to see you together again. I don't believe I've been introduced to the new paladins."

"From left to right, this is Caden, Jesse, Ari, and Will." They all nodded in hellos, but he figured they wouldn't talk. They all just watched the Galra prince, closely. As if figuring out for themselves what kind of person he was.

"Pleasure. I am Lotor, leader of the Galra. It is my privilege to stand beside Voltron in this fight against tyranny."

Lance glanced at his team. They were emotionless. "So what's up?"

"After the tragedies of late, I suspected time was a luxury we could afford. Now, we must bond together again so, in the face of emergency, we will be prepared to defend the galaxy."

"Of course."

"I cordially invite you and your paladins to attend a celebration special to the Galra, called Carazon. It marks the beginning of our forefathers' calendar, happening about every four Earth years. It is a marvelous celebration, and would mark the beginning of a new era of Voltron and Galra united under one roof."

"Sounds good. When is this?"

"The celebration is tomorrow. I will send you coordinates. Feel free to dress up, though your paladin armor will do nicely as well, if you aren't up for it."

"You'll see us there."

Lotor paused before hanging up. "Might—might I have a private word?"

Lance frowned. "Anything you want to say to me, you can say in front of them."

"It's—personal."

He paused, considering his options. It wasn't like it could be anything especially bad. "Give us a second?"

The other paladins were more than eager to skedaddle out of there.

Lotor put his hand on his head, the typical Galra salute. "I am deeply sorry for your loss. This is a trying time, and I commend you for moving beyond your grief and stepping into the role of the Black Paladin. It has been marvelous to hear the outstanding reports of your team." He paused. "They would be proud of you."

"Thanks."

"I know we have had our differences in the past, but it's high time to move beyond them. I am willing to compromise and let opportunities pass, if it means your support."

He nodded. "I'll do what I can."

"Excellent. I will see you tomorrow."

They went to the space mall to check out the latest trends in space-y style. Apparently paper Altean dollars were worth a fortune, as they were so rare. Lance found himself able to shop without a budget, but he still set limits, just in case anyone went a little crazy. They piled on tons of clothes and went to the dressing room, Ari alone in the woman's. The boys discussed the problems through the walls.

"So what does this purple elf _do_ all day?"

"He kinda reminds me of Legolas," Will said cheerfully, "with the pointy ears and everything. And all that luscious hair, man. Guys like me just can't compare."

"Is the Galra Empire even still a thing?" Caden asked. "What's their end goal? Like, yeah, universal peace, but what then? Do they have a science department? Cause they should have a science department."

Lance looked between a tuxedo and something resembling a kilt, as the manager had insisted it was the height of fashion. "Why…why don't you guys just ask Lotor what he does all day tonight? I'm sure he'd be more than happy to let you in on all the inner Galra stuff."

"Nuh uh, I'm not talking to that guy. No offence, Caden, but I just don't trust these Galra guys."

"None taken."

"And what exactly does he want us at this celebration thing-y for, anyway?" Will asked indignantly.

"Carazon," Caden said. Lance imagined Pidge would've pushed up her glasses.

"Yeah. That."

"It's actually a time-honored Galra tradition. I remember one time—uh—when the Galra were still on our planet, they celebrated it. It was actually kindave cool. There's this neat dancing lesson with the girls, they hold fights to see who's the strongest, both girls and boys, and then there's this whole thing where they fire fiery arrows in the air." He paused. "Ari'll probably love it."

"Sounds like her kind of holiday," Will mumbled.

"We'll just have to be courteous and nice, okay?"

"Alright," they all agreed.

Lance decided on the tuxedo and stepped halfway out of his dressing room in his boxers. "Thanks, guys. You figure out what you want?"

"I've never really worried about clothes before," Caden murmured.

"Just go with whatever's comfortable." Jesse stepped out of his dressing room as Lance did, sporting a soft yellow button up shirt and black slacks, complete with shiny brown boots. "Don't worry. Half of it's off of the clearance rack, so I'm still in budget."

"You look good." Lance held up his tux. "Mama always said it was important to look classy."

"Yeah, you just look like a bumblebee." Will walked out holding a blue suit and pants, with a matching tie and white shirt. "I'm gonna look like the ocean. Who knows? Maybe there'll be a dashing young lady there who loves the ocean as much as I do, and we'll dance, and swoon, and maybe even get in on—you know what I'm saying…?"

Caden walked out of his room, hyped up. "Unnecessary yet fulfilling conversations concerning romantic attachments?"

"Yeah my boi!"

"Ooh man! Now I'm excited about tonight." Caden had gone simple, picking a plain green shirt with a white overcoat, a mix between the kind of coat the ringleader of a circus would wear and a lab coat. Plain black shoes. "Even though we're not there to party."

"Speak for yourself. Ooh! Hold on a second, I've gotta practice." Will slid over to Caden, finger gunning. "Hey girl, are you the sun? Because you light up my life."

Caden looked confused. "But not all planets have a star. Some are dependent on other sources for light, like crystals, or quintessence."

"Never mind."

"I'm sure the Galra there will get it. Jesse, change back, and then we'll head out."

Ari walked by, her outfit already in a bag. "You guys seriously aren't done?"

"Aren't women supposed to take a long time to shop?"

She looked down at the bag over her arm. "I know what I like."

Jesse put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, but we had four people, so, yeah."

"It wasn't a—"

"So boom!" Will finished.

"We'll meet you by the fountain," Lance said, and she walked off, scowling.

Jesse went to get changed, and Will slumped against the wall to the floor. "Do you—do you think I come on too strong? Not around you guys, I know you'll always be there for me, but what about Ari? Do you think she doesn't like me? What if she really doesn't like me?"

"I don't think Ari likes anyone," Caden said.

"ANYONE?" Will jumped up. "So she's like that around you guys?"

"Well, not Lance. But they're, like, tight."

He tilted his head. "T—tight?"

Lance halfheartedly listened, tapping on Jesse's door. "You out?"

A muffled "yeah"

"Toss it over so I can pay for all this stuff."

A muffled "okay" and stuff flying over the top of the door. He grabbed all their clothes and shuffled out of the room.

They all waited right outside the door, thinking they looked awesome, but in fact looking like they were lost. Will tapped his foot impatiently. "So…do we just walk in, or are we supposed to knock? Does someone introduce us? I feel like we're the kind of people that would be introduced, right? Cause some Galra might freak out if we just waltzed in like we own the place."

"In Galra tradition, it's customary to just walk in and mingle." Caden put his hands on his hips. "The strong are supposed to stand out naturally."

"Sounds legit."

Ari had picked out a fancy looking red vest with black trim. She looked like a cross between a Victorian era rich guy and a steampunk inventor. It was complete with a torso cape and white scarf. Honestly, she'd already dimmed all their outfits. Collectively, though, Lance thought they all looked great and worked together.

Lance took a deep breath and pushed the door open, immediately thanking his mama for reminding him clothes were the main first impression. Swarms of Galra in what looked like funky tuxedos and long coats crowded on the main floor. He snuck a quick glance at his paladins, glad to see they managed to sustain apathy, though Caden looked around the room apprehensively.

He smiled tightly, seeing Lotor walk up. He looked quite dashing, as always, with his perfectly styled hair and fancy royal clothes. He clasped his hands behind his back, a move Lance found unnerving. "Paladins of Voltron. It is my pleasure to meet you all in person, and welcome you to Carazon."

"Happy to be here," Ari said smoothly, but Lance could tell it was layered with careful, hidden sarcasm. Another quick glance at the others told him they knew it, too.

Lotor didn't, as he smiled genuinely. "The refreshments are to the left, and I'm sure you'll find many of the guests tonight are distinguished and strategic to know. Now, if you'll excuse me." He nodded and backed out of the conversation.

None of them moved. Will bounced slightly. "So…what now?"

"Make friends, have fun. Don't drink anything. Don't do anything…discriminating."

Caden whispered something to Jesse, and they both walked to the right. Will noticed a pretty Galra girl to the left. Ari leaned over. "I'm gonna go find a corner." Lance nodded and walked forward.

Will took a deep breath, slicked back his hair, and slid up to the girl. "Hey girl, are you a star? 'Cause you're burning up my heart."

She snickered and had to put her hand over her mouth to stop from spitting out her drink. "That's your pick-up line?"

"Did it work?"

She checked him out. "I mean, you're a human, so not really."

He tilted his head, smile dampening. "What's that got to do with anything? I mean, it's fine if you're not interested or anything, but what should me being a human have to do with anything?"

"It's—socially unacceptable. Flirting is fine, but even if you weren't a complete moron, there'd be no way."

Will had trained himself to not take things like that to heart. "I like to think of myself as a guy who breaks the status quo."

She smiled and tilted her head condescendingly. "Hmm. Well, I'm not losing my position over a twat like you. Happy Carazon."

She walked away.

Ari had hoped staying in the far corner of the room meant no one would bother her. Wearing a bright red vest probably hadn't been the best idea, but the guys had color coded, and she didn't want to be left out of something like that. For the first time, she actually was a part of a team and had friends, and she didn't want to mess it up.

She hadn't worn a dress and didn't want to. She could barely move in these tight clothes as it was, much less fight. A dress would've made it so much worse. She felt her bayard against her back, strategically tied under her vest so she could pull it out at a moment's notice.

"Hello there." A green alien walked up to her, and she grimaced openly. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No," she mumbled.

"I never thought I'd meet a human, but here you are."

She stared straight forward, lips tight. "Unfortunately."

"How'd a human like you get so far into space?"

"No personal questions, please."

He looked a little annoyed, and she took it as a compliment. "Just trying to make conversation."

"I'm not in the mood."

He waited a moment. "My—father, he told me stories about humans. In space. So rare, so powerful. A human in space is bound to make history."

"Define history."

"I'm always interested in how humans operate, see if we can move aliens on the same wavelength, and perhaps that would increase our brainpower and…functionality." He leaned in closer, reaching out his hand. "We're conducting research—"

"Not interested." She slapped his hand and slid back.

He nodded, lips pressed tight together. He leaned in. "If you're ever willing to talk." He handed her a card.

She ripped the card without breaking eye contact. "Not once have I ever seen anyone in the galaxy other than humans refer to other species as aliens. I honestly don't care what you're doing, if it's really research or just screwing around, so I'll leave you to it."

She strut away, scanning the room for Lance. After only three minutes, she was ready to go.

Caden and Jesse slipped away from the main ballroom into the corridors of Galra Central. "Is this legal?" Jesse asked in a hushed whisper.

"I just want to check," Caden whispered back.

They found the guest list, in a big book on the table. "What if it's done by last name?" Caden said worriedly.

"I just hope it's sorted alphabetically," Jesse mumbled.

He flipped through the pages, looking for U. With his finger, he moved down the line, his eyes fluttering closed. "It's done by first name. She's not on here."

"Dang it." Caden walked in a circle, tugging on his clothes. "Maybe there's a command central nearby that we could check out. She's got to be in the database, right?"

"Unless Hermanu sided with one of the generals." Caden looked down, and Jesse put his hand on his brother's back. "Look, it's not worth the risk. We can't let Lance down. But we won't stop looking, either."

Caden took a deep breath, looking up. "I just hope she's okay."

Lance looked out the large window, watching a fireworks display that only people with philosophical things on their mind were watching. Instead of thinking about life after death or something meaningful like that, he thought about starting a five hour energy drink line in space. He'd use it, if no one else did. He took a sip of what he hoped was water and kept staring.

"Well, well, well." Dang it, he was actually starting to have a good time. But Lotor walked up behind him, hands clasped together. "How you have risen to the challenge. The Black Paladin."

"Thanks."

"I hope you are coping well with the loss of your comrades."

 _Comrades_. He took another sip and thought of the three hours of sleep a day. It showed. He was level 26 with his broadsword. "Absolutely."

"I know this is a celebration and not the place to discuss strategy, but there is an imperative moment approaching. One of the generals will be crossing an open area in space, where they will be vulnerable to attack. Between the both of our forces, it should be simple to wipe them from the cosmos, bringing the Galra Empire one step closer to its former glory."

Lance squinted. "…All the generals are too overpowered at this point. I'm not going to throw my paladins in that kind of situation."

Lotor looked annoyed. "Lance. I understand you have just begun. But if we do not strike now—"

"Then something else will come along."

He squinted. "You have no idea how to lead, do you?"

"Apparently more then you."

"I will not stand here and be insulted by a child. Just because you pilot the Black Lion does not mean you make all the decisions."

"That's exactly what it means. And you're delirious if you think for one second that I'm going to take your advice over the safety of my paladins. We'll attack the generals when we're good and ready." He paused, a smirk on his face. "And, Lotor? You don't have to stand there."

He frowned more than imaginable and walked away. Lance took another sip of his drink and looked at the dimming fireworks. "I'm ready to go."


	13. Chapter 13 - Twinsies

Chapter 13 - Twinsies

"Level two, commencing."

Caden heaved as two sentries showed up. "I didn't think training would be this hard."

"C'mon, this is nothing. There's one for me and one for you."

"I could barely take one!"

The two sentries rushed forward, swinging their swords. Jesse threw his spear, but barely scratched his. "Quiznack!" He shouted, and tapped his wrist. The spear appeared again, and he went for the second throw. It lodged in the sentry's leg, and it toppled to the floor. Caden, on the other hand, wasn't having such a great time. His stars bounced off the sentry, and Jesse eventually took it out with his spear.

Jesse reached out his hand. "You're doing better."

"I have barely any idea how to use these things! It's fine when it's just a target or something like that. But these things move! And this useless little weapon does nothing!"

"You're doing fine."

"Wish I had something cool," he mumbled. Will jogged in, silent and ignored.

"Remember what Lance said. Even though you don't know how to use it, it still fits. The bayard changes to the person."

"I'm going to file a complaint with my bayard," Caden said. Both boys snickered.

"Maybe Chief'll get you a knife, like Ari's."

"That'd do some damage!"

"What's up?" Will put his hands on his hips.

Jesse smiled. "There's this thing in our village where you can file a complaint if you don't like something, and the elders will consider it. It's actually a really helpful system, but one year, us kids all put in really menial complaints, and now no one under eighteen's allowed to say anything."

"Yeah, but what are we complaining about?"

"My bayard sucks."

"Yeet."

"But you'll get used to it," Jesse said, patting his brother's back.

Will perked up. "Yeah. And ask Lance for help. He's a really good teacher. He showed me how to aim with my axe. And now!" He grabbed his bayard and threw his axe across the room. It lodged against the wall. "I don't stink at long or short range combat."

"I can throw it. It's just so useless when fighting big enemies."

"And that's why you've got a freaking fifty foot tall lion that has your back!" Will motioned wildly with his statement. "Ooh, right. Lance said that we've got a new mission, and he wants everyone on the bridge."

"…When did he say that?"

"Oh at least twenty minutes ago."

"Why didn't—"

"Hey, I'm not the brains of the operation." Will finger-gunned and backed out of the room. "That's your job!"

Caden and Jesse hurried after him. "Honestly, that guy…"

"He's pretty good. Reminds me of Harra," Jesse said.

Caden snickered, then gasped. "You're right!"

"Alright, guys. Here's the plan. There's a colony demolished by the Galra on the planet Jessop, but they moved underground. As of right now, they're trapped by the wreckage. We're gonna go in with our lions and evacuate them all to Olkarion through a wormhole. Everyone should take two loads of passengers, and that should do it."

"Who's going to stay with the castle?"

Lance stood taller. "I'm gonna try to open up a wormhole with the Black Lion again."

Caden tilted his head. "But you haven't been able to since—well, since the last time you did."

"But we haven't needed to, either. You guys work on getting the wreckage out of the way, and hopefully by the time you're done, I should have a wormhole open."

"I hope so," Caden whispered. Jesse bumped his shoulder with a smile.

"When you guys are down there, I'm gonna turn off my coms."

Ari tilted her head. "Yeah, but you said—"

"I know what I said. This is different and you know it." She snickered. "So when you're down there, you're going to need to work as a team. We don't know what the structure looks like down there, so you're going to need to strategically remove pieces, so the whole thing doesn't bury the survivors."

Will raised her hand. "Yeah, so who's in charge?"

"What?"

"Down there. Since you'll be up here and unavailable, who's going to be in charge?" He flexed his completely flat arm. "I don't mean to brag, but hey. I'm the muscles of the group."

He sighed, facepalming. "Ari's in charge."

"WHAT? I don't want to be led by Ari."

"Don't make me regret saving you," she hissed, then turned to Lance with a serious face. "But I really don't want to try to corral these idiots." She glanced at the twins. "Actually, just one."

"I appreciate your efforts to make us feel better, but your initial thought was to associate us with him," Caden said.

"OkAy, I don't appreciate being labelled the idiot of the group!"

"My apologies," Ari said, smiling at Caden and ignoring Will.

"HeY!"

"Break it up, guys. Get to your lions. Ari, you're in charge. I'll get down there if I can, okay?"

"Fine." But she still wore a smile from roasting Will. The other three followed her, chatting together.

After the elevator door closed, Lance took a deep breath, staring off into deep space. "Alright. Let's do this."

Ari glanced at the structure below, blocked by the massive wind storm picking up all the dust on the planet. She swiped a couple screens on her lions, clearing the dust and picking out the solid pieces from the mobile ones. "Okay, guys. There's a couple little things that we have to move, but then there's one beam that's huge. We'll need all four lions to move it, so let's—"

"How long do you think this is gonna take?"

Ari rolled her eyes. "I am going to—"

"So we're moving the little pieces for a couple minutes and then we'll regroup to get the big one?" Caden asked, interrupting.

" _Yes_."

"Awesome." The green and yellow lions moved out of formation, diving down. Ari followed them, with Will at her tail.

"Like, will we still have time for family dinner afterwards? I got this thing that looks a lot like chicken at the last planet we were at, and I think it would go really great with that stuff that looks like basil from Olkarion, so maybe we could pick some up when we're dropping off—"

"Would you focus, Will?" Ari snapped. "This isn't an outing."

"But it's not a battle, either."

"Would you—oh, never mind." She turned off her coms, leaning back in her seat. "Finally, some peace and quiet."

Lance clicked off his coms and settled in the Black Lion, floating in the middle of space. "Okay. I need to make a wormhole. But I don't want to make one unless you're good with it, too." He waited for a few moments, his eyes closed. Nothing. No lights, no vibrations. He opened one eye tentatively. "Any minute now." The lion seemed to be suspended in space. "C'mon. This is the plan. I have to make a wormhole so my team can get these people to safety. We can't waste time."

He felt a slight vibration under his arms, and raised them slightly. "Okay, that's better then nothing." He took his bayard, took a breath, and stuck it in the socket, twisting it. Nothing.

"C'mon! Work!" He did it again, then again. "Why aren't you working? You worked before! Why won't you just trust me?" He tried one more time, then dropped the bayard on the floor. "So, what, you just decide not to work at the worst possible times? I have to do this! Why won't you just make a stupid wormhole! People are going to die if you don't—…"

He gripped the handles. "If you could make wormholes this whole time, why…" He paused. "Why didn't you save them?"

The Black Lion vibrated.

"You…you let them die. Why did you let them die? You…you could've saved them." He choked on tears, crying for the first time in over a month. "You had them. Shiro was piloting. I heard them before the line went dead. But when you got back to the castle, they were gone. What did you do to them?"

Silence.

Lance jumped up. "I lost everything because you didn't do anything! Maybe this is why nobody wants to be the Black Paladin." He fell to the floor. "And for the record? Neither do I."

"It's getting pretty bad," Caden said, peering through the dust. "We should get the big beam before we can't even see each other."

"Whadya say, Ari?" Jesse asked. "Ari?"

"She turned her coms off," Will answered, "again."

The twins groaned. "Are you kidding me?"

"Were you being annoying?"

"I'm not annoying!" Will exclaimed. "I don't even know why."

"Well, somebody go—" Jesse paused with a slight gasp "—oh quiznack."

"What?"

"Will! Look out, there's a—"

A piece of rubble slammed into the Blue Lion before the warning finished.

"I'm hit! My lion's not responding!" Will reported in a frenzy.

"That was a radioactive meteorite!" Caden gasped. "From the upper atmosphere! No wonder the Galra left. We've got to get these people out before they're demolished."

"Okay! I'll—" Will was cut short as the Blue Lion hurtled into the Red Lion. "Guys! I—" The coms sputtered and died.

"Ari! Will!" Jesse screeched, but neither could hear.

"We've got to land our lions, or we're gonna get hit by more debris."

Jesse liked that idea more than getting hit by debris, but his teammates mattered to him, too. "What about Ari and Will?"

Caden took a deep breath. "They're on their own."

Lance landed his lion in the hangar and disembarked, heading straight for his station. He pulled up the page Pidge had designed for war stats and locations, pulling up the stats for a month ago. He took a deep breath. "Okay. A month ago, we teamed up with the Blade of Marmora and the Coalition to make an alliance with one of the generals, but they changed their minds once they were inside. I couldn't get anyone out in the Red Lion, so I went back through a wormhole and expected everyone to follow. They never did." He felt like he was reciting something for a test. "You made that wormhole." He took a deep breath. "You saved my life. So why didn't you save them?"

He turned around. The Black Lion stood a couple feet away from him, their noses almost touching.

Lance spoke in a hoarse whisper. "You know I can't do this alone. But I can't trust you if you don't trust me, either."

The creases between the metal glowed purple, making for a very nice aesthetic. But aside from every other time in his life, Lance wasn't there to look pretty.

The lines on his forehead creased. "Why did you save _me_?"

Ari didn't do well with the crash, but her lion was good to her, and she'd survived. "You okay, girl?" She tapped the screens, but nothing happened. "Okay. Rest up. Let me go see what hit us." The mouth was open, so she stepped out into the windy atmosphere. It nearly whipped her off her feet, she was so small, but she kept her footing. She looked across to see the Blue Lion lying on the ground about a hundred feet away. "Of course," she mumbled, and ran over.

Will stumbled out of his lion, seeing Ari running over. He sighed with relief. At least someone who knew what they were doing was at his air. "Ari!"

"What did you do?" She shouted, ducking under the cover of his lion's mouth.

"I got hit with some kind of radioactive asteroid. That's what Caden said."

"Huh." So it wasn't entirely his fault. If it hadn't hit him, it might've hit her. "Are you okay?"

"You should see the other guy." He smiled, rubbing his elbow.

She glanced over to see the asteroid broken in pieces on the ground, gray gas escaping from the rocks. "Is your lion down?"

"Yeah. I think he'll be okay, just needs a couple minutes to recuperate."

"We can't stay here. All those people are still trapped under there."

"So what's the plan?"

"I—" She ducked her head "—I don't have a plan."

He bit his lip. "Maybe we could go through the tunnels on this side and try to find the survivors? Then lead them around here, where we can all pick them up. That'll save a bunch of time trying to move rubble."

She opened her mouth, then closed it. "That's—actually a good idea." She scowled again and walked into the wind.

Will moved his hands around in frustration. "What do I have to do, woman?"

Caden and Jesse struggled to make their way to the cave opening. "I feel like I'm getting swept off my feet! And in a much worse way then Will's."

"Almost—there—"

They escaped to the opening, gasping and leaning on the walls.

"V—Voltron?"

They turned to see tall, noodle-like beings standing before them. They looked apprehensive and frightened. "Is it truly you?"

"Yes. Yes, we're paladins of Voltron," Jesse said, stepping forward. "We're going to get you out of here."

"We've already decided. We'll die here in this cave," the leader said.

"What? Why?"

"The storm is worsening. It is a judgement of the gods upon us. We have failed in our duties, and will die as loyal subjects."

Caden deadpanned at Jesse, mouthing "are you kidding me?" Jesse turned to the leader. "One second." He scrambled up on a small boulder, looking at the masses of noodle people that came up to his knee, even on the boulder. "People of Jessop! My name is Jesse, and I am the paladin of the yellow lion. I am here to tell you there is hope."

Caden facepalmed.

"The storm is worsening outside and the wreckage will soon crumble, but beyond the atmosphere in open space, you'll be safe. Our lions outside will take you to a wormhole above, which will take you to the planet Olkarion, where you can reside in peace as we rebuild your home." He raised his hands above the crowd. "It is not your destiny to die! Not today, my friends. Come with us, and the history of your people will live on!"

The noodle people cheered, and Jesse slipped down from the boulder. Caden walked up to him. "That went well."

"Well, great minds think alike."

"And fools rarely differ. So what's the plan now?"

"We could try to shuttle people out of here using our mini lion shuttle thingies, and take them to the—"

"That's too long. We'd maybe get, what, twenty? Before this whole thing falls down."

"Then I'm out of ideas."

Caden thought for a moment. "We really need Lance."

"You wanna try to call him?"

"Yeah. He's got to have a wormhole open by now."

Lance sat in his lions, motionless, nearly asleep. But not quite asleep. He found when he was surrounded by troubles, his mind gave him happy memories. Pidge fashioning him a headset like hers, so he could listen to soothing music as he slept. HuGgInG ShIrO for the FIRST TIME and nearly DYING aFtEr. "Leave the math to Pidge." So many memories from the Garrison with Hunk, who he thought of like a brother. But then he remembered where he was, what he was trying to do. He closed his eyes again.

He stood and turned back on the coms, waiting for a moment. Suddenly, he heard Jesse screaming incomprehensibly in the coms. "LANCE WE COULD REALLY—"

"Hey guys, I'm here. What's going on down there?"

"The storm's worse. An asteroid just hurtled into the entrance, and now we're trapped, so—"

"Wait, wait. Where's Ari and Will?"

"Their lions are down, and coms are, too."

Lance jumped into the pilot's seat. "I'm on my way."

"Please hurry. Because an asteroid could literally barrel into us at any moment, which is pretty nerve-wracking, and we could be dead in seconds with literally no warning—"

"Jesse!" Caden's voice came through, though scratchy. "Though do hurry."

"That's going to be a problem," Lance said. "The asteroid belt is being sucked into the planet by the storm. I'll be down there as fast as I can, but it could take a while."

Another boom resounded. "Please hurry."

Another boom resounded. "How close do you think that one was?" Will whimpered.

"Would you just shut up and walk?" Ari snapped, nearly speed walking through the tunnels. "You're falling behind, and it's slowing everyone down."

"Sorry." He lowered his head and watched his step, running to catch up. "Did—do—do you think I'm annoying?"

"Absolutely."

"But seriously."

She sighed. "I think you need to work on when you're going to be a clueless moron and when you're not, because now is not a good time, and I'm not in the mood," she snapped. Ari leaned on the cave wall, gasping for air. He handed her a flask of water, and she sipped it. "Thanks."

"We can stop."

"We have to get to the others."

"Not like that."

She considered, then sat on the ground.

He sat across from her, silently shifting the sand for a couple moments. "Did—did you mean—what you said on the bridge?"

"What did I say?"

He looked down. "Do—do you wish you hadn't saved me?"

"No. Of course not, I just—that just slipped out."

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault."

He looked down. "I'm sorry I haven't been the best paladin."

"It's fine. But this isn't Haza we're dealing with anymore. It's an entire galaxy."

"Yeah." He looked down. "Do you—do you not like me?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"I just know that we haven't exactly been friends in the past, and—I just—if there's anything I need to apologize for—"

"No."

"But if there is—"

"There's not. And I really don't want to be talking about this."

"There is, isn't there?"

"Will."

"Look, I'm sorry I kissed you! I thought the feelings were mutual because you didn't say anything against it, and I thought we were on the same wavelength, and I'm sorry we weren't and I'm not going to try to do that again!"

"I—don't—care about that!"

"But you're not being my friend or anything!"

"Listen, you're not—you just not my kind of person." She stood up, her hands on her face. "I don't really get along with people well, and even though you might not know that since you get along with everybody, it's really hard for me to make friends."

"You're friends with Lance! That guy loves you! And Caden and Jesse. Y'all are like the salty team extraordinaire."

She smiled.

"I, just—I think you're really cool, Ari. I'm sorry I came on strong when we first me, and went a little crazy, but I want to be friends with you. Especially now since we're on a team that the entire universe pretty much relies on."

She tilted her head. "You—you were taking this seriously all along."

"Huh?"

"I thought you were just being a social butterfly, but—you're bonding with the team."

"I mean, the entire universe is counting on all of us being best friends, so, yeah."

She raised her chin. "You're not so bad, Will."

"Neither are you, Ariana."

"Say that in front of anyone else and I will kill you."

"Duly noted."

"Shh."

He threw his hands up in frustration. "Are you kidding me? We had a bonding moment! And you're already throwing it away like it was a used paper towel!"

"No, shh! Do you hear that?" They paused. "Voices."

"Caden? Jesse?" Will shouted, and they heard joyful voices shout in return.

Lance dodged asteroids like it was his lifeline, seeing what happened to Ari and Will when they got hit. It wasn't too difficult. The Black Lion was quicker then Blue, but slower then Red. He could take it. Eventually, he saw the planet's surface, as well as the central part of the storm. Near the Blue and Red lions, which lit up, he could see the four paladins in a small exit of the tunnels. Suddenly, they milled about, afraid. He looked up to see a giant asteroid barreling towards them.

The coms sputtered to life. "Guys!"

"That thing's gonna kill us all!" Jesse screeched.

"Guys!" Lance screamed, adrenaline and anger taking over. "No, I am not losing any more paladins!" He positioned the Black Lion to take the blast of the asteroid.

"Lance! That's not going to work. The radioactive material will just get to your lion and shut it down, then just plummet into us." Caden's voice was full of fear. "It's—it's too big."

Lance looked up at the hurling asteroid, eyes wide. He squeezed them shut. "No." He grabbed his bayard. "No!" The purple lights surged to life, and he plunged his bayard in the slot. A wormhole shot out in front of him, and the asteroid flew through it, back into deep space.

"We're not gonna die after all!" Jesse screamed, and Lance could hear a crowd faintly cheering though the coms.

"Get to your lions!" Lance said, leaning back, sweat making him feel sticky. "Let's get these people to safety."

"Ahh, back in the safety of this beautiful castle." Jesse caressed the couch in the lounge room. "How I've missed you."

"What happened to the whole 'we're going to live' resolve?"

"That was before we were in a life or death situation."

"Good job today, guys," Lance said. "Even though things didn't go as planned, you got the job done."

"Does this mean we get to have some free time?" Lance nodded, and Will jumped up. "FREE TIME!"

"I'm gonna go check on my lion," Lance told them. "I'll check in on you guys tonight." He walked out of the room.

Will cracked his knuckles. "Welp, I'm hitting the training room."

"Actually." Ari touched his shoulder, and he stiffed while turning around. "Could—if you guys aren't doing anything—could we all train together? We'll probably have to fight on the field at some point. Maybe—do a team exercise?"

"I could make these things actually useful," Caden said, forming his stars. Jesse voiced his agreement, too.

Will smiled at Ari. "Sounds good to me, ginger."

She smirked and walked out of the room.


	14. Chapter 14 - Staying Alive

Chapter 14 – Staying Alive

Lance woke on the floor, crusty bits in the corners of his eyes. He wiped them off with his sleeve and rolled over. "Time to start a new day," he said to himself, and pulled himself up. That was the one good thing about falling asleep at random times; he never had to get dressed, just make sure his fringe didn't look like crap.

He called everyone on the bridge. It took eleven minutes—he counted—for them all to arrive.

"Okay, guys. Now that we can hopefully make portals with Voltron whenever we want, we're gonna leave the castle on Daria as a home base. Best case scenario is that we go back whenever we're done with a mission. Right now, we'll rest up a bit, then see what the Coalition needs."

"What about the generals?" Ari asked with a frown.

"They're moving, but they haven't endangered anyone right now. You all are getting a lot better, but we need to start training as Voltron instead of individually. Once Voltron's strong enough, we'll be good."

"So what's the plan for today? Exactly?" Caden asked.

"Rest up and train up."

"Can—if you're free—could we run some tests on the Black Lion's wormholes?" He shrugged and looked off to the side proudly. "I—I might've looked at it a little last night, and it doesn't make wormholes like any ordinary ship, and it might be neat to see how it does it and stuff, but I do need someone to make a wormhole, and since you're the—"

"That's good, Caden," Lance said, cutting him off. He could've rambled for a thousand years. "Yeah, we can do that."

"I didn't sleep well last night," Ari told them, and walked out immediately.

"Well there goes that plan," Will said, "so I guess I'll go train."

"I'll go with you," Jesse said with a smile.

"Awesome. Caden? You ready?"

"Ready."

"So what is it with you and Ari?"

Will groaned loudly, and for a weird amount of time. Luckily, the level started, and he didn't have time to answer. Swinging his axe at the robots—slightly harder then the sentries he was used to—he thought about how to form his answer. Within a minute, they completed the level. "That's—a—" _phew_ "—long story."

"Are you guys a thing? Cause I remember you said you kissed her, but…?"

His head dropped, and he looked at his friend painfully, but with jest. "It was really bad. No, we're not a thing. At least I think we're not a thing. Last time we did things as a thing, I kindave moved to the other side of the planet so she wouldn't have to see me anymore."

" _What_?"

"Okay, so—" Will backed his story up. "So I—no, back, WAY back then, I was kindave kidnapped from Earth—that's the human home planet, by the way—and put in space."

"That's rough, man."

"Yeah. I—I didn't think I'd ever be able to go back, but now I actually might be able to—" He sniffed loudly, and shook his head to reset. "But that's not the point. Anyway, when I was, like, ten or something, this guy Neppa owned me, and he—"

" _Owned_?"

"…Yeah?"

"You were a slave?"

"I like to think I was a hired servant. That didn't get paid. But it was a lot better then other people! Probably because I'm so pretty." He floofed his hair. "Anyway, we were at Haza one day, and when Ari saw me, without even talking to me, she snuck me out. I hid underground for a couple weeks, but I don't think they looked for me." He hugged his chest. "So then we were friends."

"That's crazy, man. How do you deal with it?"

"Eh, I kindave just…don't. And it eventually goes away. Ari helps a lot. Whenever I talk to her, I'm not thinking about that kind of stuff. But…she doesn't like me like that, so…"

"But you tried to kiss her?"

"Well, you know how Ari is! She doesn't really have her whole emotional spectrum down pat, and I didn't really know that, so when she didn't tell me no, I thought she was saying yes." He leaned in. "Keep in mind I was eleven and hadn't see any other humans for five years."

"That's crazy. I mean—you thought you had consent. I think it's okay, so long as you know."

"Oh trust me, I know. I wouldn't ever want to hurt Ari."

"That's good."

"Did you know," he sat on the edge, looking at his axe, "that Ari was taller than me when we met? And the last time we saw each other? I was not prepared to stand up and be taller than her. Most everybody is taller then me back on Haza. But now I'm taller then everyone on the team. Except Lance. But Lance is awesome, so it's okay to come in second."

"Yeah, me and Caden used to fight over who was the tallest."

"…You're twins…you're the…the same height…"

"No kidding. Alpha Twin, I guess."

"Level two, commencing."

Caden floated outside the Black Lion, using his jetpack to fly around to its paws. "Okay, so when you fire the wormhole, these should pick up any readings. I don't—I don't exactly know what I'm looking for, though. There isn't a teludav in your lion, so…I guess we're winging it?"

"I'm up for anything."

"Okie dokie, then."

Lance grabbed his bayard and stuck it in the slot. A wormhole shot out in front of him. Caden was silent. "What's up?"

"It's incredible."

"What?"

"This wormhole—it's on a completely different wavelength then the ones the castle's been making."

"How?"

"It's like—like this one's—hotter? The elements are moving at a crazy high tendency, which should mean—it's hotter?"

Lance squinted. "I'm not a chemist, but—"

"Look Lance, I have no idea, I've never seen readings like this before, and honestly this is kinda freaky from a scientist standpoint."

"It's okay. Take deep breaths." Caden wheezed, and Lance studied the wormhole. "It looks exactly like the ones the castle makes."

"Probably because it's the same elements." His voice sounded much higher, as if he'd been swallowing helium.

"So it is the same."

"I have no idea." Caden looked back at his screen.

Lance closed the wormhole. "We can look at the stuff back at—"

"WAIT, WAIT HOLD ON—"

Lance froze. "What's wrong?"

"Open the wormhole again." Lance did. "That's amazing."

"What is?"

"The same stuff in the wormhole—the same elements? They're all around you."

"In space?"

"No. Lance, _in the lion_."

Lance glanced around. "Hold up. The same stuff that the wormhole is made of is in my lion?"

"It's like there's a little wormhole in the cockpit."

"What are you saying?"

"At literally any second, you could teleport anywhere in space."

He sat back. "Without the Black Lion."

"Yeah." Lance didn't say anything, just sat back in his seat. His hands trembled a bit, unable to say anything. "Lance, you know what this means, right?"

He nodded. "They're out there somewhere."


	15. Chapter 15 - The Nice Guys

Chapter 15 – The Nice Guys

"PIDGE!"

He sat up with a start after screaming. The rainy wind whipped on his face, and his meager attempts to use his hands as a shield didn't work too well. He tried to look around, and spotted a rocky ledge. When he tried to stand, lightning pain shot through his leg, and he fell back down. Ever so slowly, he limped and dragged himself over to the cave.

Hunk hadn't imagined he'd die this way.

Under the ledge, it was cooler and not much better in the rain. He swung his leg in front of him and poked it cautiously. "Is it sprained? It's probably sprained. It's been sprained before." He remembered when he'd done the same thing on the elementary school playground. He'd suffered in silent agony while his best friend had done all the bloody screaming for him.

It wasn't a good memory.

Hunk couldn't remember how the doctor had fixed his ankle, just that he wasn't forced to stay at the hospital overnight. That had been the best part. He wrapped his bandana around his ankle awkwardly. It didn't cover, but it felt good to have at least some pressure on it. When he stood, it helped his leg to not cross over in the wrong direction. Much better. He stood, leaning on his good leg. "Okay, where am I?" The rain answered with silence. "Wait a second, where is everyone? Pidge? Lance?" Nothing from the rain; it was being especially useless today. "Shiro? Keith? Allura? Coran?" Yup, that was all the people he knew. Nothing else to shout. "Hello?"

"Hmm. Plan B. What's that again?" He limped to the edge of the rock, where large, leafy plants grew. "What's the protocol for getting stranded alone on an alien planet? I don't think I was trained for this."

He broke off a leaf and held it over his head. "Yeah, that'll work. Rubbery, like…rubber." He picked a couple more and tied the ends together. "There we go."

He looked at the rain disdainfully. Then, with his leafy umbrella over his head, stepped back into it.

n

Hunk didn't know how long he'd been walking. Minutes, hours, days. It mushed together. His bottom half was soaking wet, but his head was warm, so he figured he wouldn't actually die. His ankle felt much better after walking in the cool, so he figured two positives cancelled out at least two negatives. Mainly that he was on an alien planet with no food and no friends.

Up ahead, he spotted a lake and headed for it. It was huge. Maybe a sea; he couldn't see the other side. But he saw something else interesting. Fish-y creatures swimming in the sea, undisturbed by the tumult up above. "Food…food would be great." He glanced around. Luckily, not far from the sea lay another outshoot of rock, with more of those rubbery plants. He smiled and limped towards it.

Quite some time and leaves later, he'd managed to catch two of the things, which looked like tilapia, only with four eyes. "Kinda creepy, but I've dealt with worse."

He arranged some leaves in a neat little pile, sitting cross legged near it. Two chips of rocks in his hand, he started chipping them together, hoping for something. "No…metal. I need metal," he mumbled to himself, pulling out a radio device Pidge had made a while ago. "That'll work. Sorry, Pidge." Using the radio and the rock, he made a fire.

"Ahh. Feels like home." For a couple minutes, he warmed himself, sighing in relief. Then, he pulled out the tilapia-things and started scraping the itty bitty scales off their backs.

"Lance!"

Hunk straightened, like a wolf hearing a howl. "Lance…I know a Lance."

"Shiro!"

"I also know a Shiro." He stood. "Hello?" He shouted. "Who's there? Coran?" It was a guy, after all. "Keith?" He stepped out into the rain and whipped around, eventually finding a guy in a bright red jacket stumbling around in the rain, purple sword drawn. "Keith! Over here! By the light!"

Keith ran in his direction.

Hunk was going to hug him whether he liked it or not. It was the or not, as Keith didn't even hug back. "I'm so glad you're okay, man, I thought I was out here all alone."

"Where is everybody?" His black hair was slicked all in front of his face in a semi-attractive manner.

"You're the first person I've seen out here."

Keith noticed the umbrella in the corner, and sat cross legged near the fire, shivering. "How did you—"

"Well I wasn't going to stay out there. I'm making fish. Should be done in a bit."

"We have to find the others."

"Or maybe they'll find us."

His teeth chattered loudly, and he pulled off his jacket, tossing it on the floor. "We c-c-c-can't stay here."

"Keith, you're freezing your butt off out there. You're not gonna be any good to anyone if you're dead. So rest up, and we'll look for them tomorrow."

He was quiet in consent. "Do you know how long we've been here?"

Hunk shook his head. "I've kinda lost track of time. You could tell me we've been here a year, and I'd believe you."

"I don't remember anything."

"Well, your name is Keith, you're a—well, you were a paladin of Voltron, and you were with the Blade of Margarine—" Keith snickered "—and now we're stuck on a rainy alien planet."

"I know _that_. I don't know how we got here."

"Oh, me neither."

He went back to shredding the scales off the fish, occasionally looking up at Keith's glowing purple eyes. "You okay, man?"

He shivered again, never taking his eyes off the fire. "I just hope everyone else is okay."


	16. Chapter 16 - Divide and Conquer

Chapter 16 – Divide and Conquer

Lance apprehensively told his team the news.

"WE'RE GONNA MEET THE PALADINS WE'RE GONNA MEET THE PALADINS WE'RE GONNA MEET THE PALADINS WE'RE GONNA MEET THE PALADINS WE'RE GONNA MEET THE PALADINS WE'RE GONNA—"

Ari slapped her hand over Will's mouth, but he continued the muffled chant. "So, are you gonna actually sleep now, or what?"

"Does this mean we have to sleep in the lounge? Like, when they come back and stuff, 'cause we're in their rooms now, so are we just gonna hang out in the lounge? Or are we gonna move out?" His jaw fell open. "Could we all move back home?"

"I'm working on an algorithm that should be able to scan the whole universe for human DNA, of course, eliminating any planets that don't have life and Earth, because, c'mon, if you're a mystical lion teleporting people to random spots in the universe, why send anyone back home? S'not like you're gonna be helpful or anything." Caden was just a _little_ bit salty.

Will managed to pry Ari's hand off of his mouth. "What do you think the Blue Paladin's like? Is she like me? Is it a he? Will they know cool stuff about Blue? Do you think they'll watch me fly and give me constructive criticism? What are the odds that I can get everybody's signature? Is it true that the first Black Paladin was the Champion? Do they like coffee? C'mon, they've got to like coffee. Who doesn't like coffee?" He looked around. "You all like coffee, right?"

"I'm a tea person," Ari said calmly, and Will lost it. She looked at Lance, squinting. "You're not as excited as I thought you'd be."

"Well, that's the other thing I wanted to talk to you guys about." He put his hands on his hips, and everyone but Will calmed down. "We have a meeting today."

"We are meeting right now!" Will pointed out, jumping all over the place. What was he, six?

"…With Lotor."

Everyone immediately dropped whatever excitement they had stored up for the joyous occasion, trading it to, instead, groan loudly and slump their shoulders. Even Will was still. "B—But—the paladins!"

"We'll take care of it afterwards. Besides, he might be able to help us out."

Caden sighed, rolling his eyes. "Unfortunately, the Galra Empire has surveillance all over the known universe. They could help us out, I guess," he admitted in a monotone tone.

"Out last interaction with that guy didn't go that well," Ari said through gritted teeth.

"I know. But we can't let this slip through our fingers. I know he's annoying as a friend, but trust me, he's so much worse when he's an enemy. None of us could beat him strategically, much less hand to hand."

"I could take him." Will pounded his fists together.

"I'm sure you could, buddy." Lance ruffled his hair. "But let's work on making peace before we go picking fights."

"You're no fun," he grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, well, we don't always get to have fun. Go get in your armor, and then to your lions. We're heading to the Evermore system."

n

"It's so pretty out here," Jesse said with a smile. He sat up. "Ooh! Look at that planet."

"What's so special about this one." Will posed the question in the most apathetic voice possible.

"It's a Halfie! Or at least, that's my name for it. The technical name is Alma-nata-something. It's a planet that has two completely different ecosystems on each side. It's so neat. Ooh, I read about this one that had the same species living on each side, except they looked totally different, since one was on a tundra, and the other lived in a desert."

"Stop trying to make this trip interesting. I'm bored and salty and I want to stay that way." They could hear Will slipping out of his seat, ever so slowly. "Are we there yet?"

"Actually, yeah. The purple-y one, up ahead. Lotor's setting up base there, apparently."

"Wow, purple. Much surprise, so wow," Will remarked.

"Remember what I said. If you have nothing nice to say, don't say it. Hold up, we've got a call."

"Lions of Voltron," a Galra voice came through the intercom. "Landing bays two through six have been prepared for you."

"Thanks. We're coming down." His team was quiet. "Okay, listen, be nice, don't say anything if you aren't going to say it without fifteen layers of sass on it, smile politely—no, Ari, don't smile, you look possessed when you smile—"

"That's what I'm going for."

"—Be nice to all the Galra, okay? They have really weird rankings around here, so just try to be nice and polite, even to people that are lower then you."

"We…know that," Jesse said.

"I know you know that, and I know you'll be fine, but it needs to be said regardless, okay?"

"Okay," they all responded, matching Will's apathy.

"Alright. Let's head in there."

"Paladins of Voltron. A pleasure to see you again." Lotor stood at the far end of a long table, hands clasped behind his back. He sounded like he was trying really hard to be nice. "Please, have a seat, and we can begin to discuss."

They all took seats, and Lance half-expected someone else to do the talking. Shiro or Keith had always taken the initiative, and Allura, when she was there. But no one else was talking on his side, and he guessed they were taking what he'd said literally. "Thanks for having us."

Lotor tapped the table, and a holographic map popped up. He pointed to six dots on the map. "These are the rogue generals we still have to fight. Each has a sizeable following of Galra soldiers and civilians, as well as weapons. The surrounding planets are being constantly terrorized and sapped of resources, so we much act quickly in order to wipe them off the face of the Galra Empire."

The four colored paladins looked at each other, then back at him. Lance sighed, facepalming. "I told you. We're not ready to take any of the generals head on. Not yet. We need to strengthen the Coalition and work on opposition later."

"Lance, I understand your intuition are clouded by grief, but we simply cannot afford anymore idiocy."

Ari stood, and Lance began to wish he hadn't brought them all along. "Lance isn't an idiot. And for the record, Elf Ears, we aren't ready."

"How old are you?"

Ari's face was as red as her hair. She struggled to make a good comeback. "Doesn't matter."

"Ari," Lance said softly, and she sat back down. "Drop the idea, Lotor. Not gonna happen."

Lotor smiled sweetly, and it sent shivers down Lance's back. "What would you rather we focused on? Something of more importance, I'm sure."

"We could look for the paladins," Will said, straightening at his bright idea. Lance's lips were a straight line, and Will looked confused. "What?"

Lotor tilted his head slightly. "The paladins of old are gone. They perished in a battle over a month ago."

"Actually, the Black Lion teleported them to the far corners of the universe. We don't know where they are, but if we could find them, we could put Voltron back together the right way. If they were all hear, Voltron would be pretty dope. And by dope, I mean unstoppable."

"We are not looking for the original paladins. It is a distraction we cannot afford to focus on at this time, not with the current state of the universe. You are the paladins of Voltron."

"And you're not, so you don't make the decisions," Ari said.

"Ex _cuse_ me?"

"You heard me. Just like you've heard that we're not following your orders."

"Ari."

She stood up. "Sorry, but I'm not getting bossed around by some overrated spy who thinks he can lead."

"Roast him," Jesse mumbled, and shared a high five with his twin.

"I'm sure we can all settle this like civilized people," Lotor grumbled, his sweet décor sliding off. "If you will apologize and be seated, we can continue our discourse."

"In your dreams," Ari said.

Lance stood, and the other three with him. "I think we're done here. When you've decided you want to work for the good of the Coalition and not just the Galra Empire, call again." He started walking off, and the others fell in line behind him.

"You won't survive out there without my support!"

Lance didn't bother turning around. "And you won't survive if you try to stop us."

n

Once they were in their lions, they started chatting incessantly. "What a jerk!"

"Ari, he _hates_ you."

"Do you think he'll try to blow us out of the sky?" Jesse asked. "Because then we could retaliate. And then it technically wouldn't be our fault because he started it."

"Just get in the upper atmosphere," Lance stressed.

"Aye, aye, captain," Will said happily.

"But seriously, do you think he's gonna try to follow us?"

"Why would he?" Caden asked. "Strategically, he needs us on his side. He saw what the old paladins did to his dad and the old Galra empire. The second Voltron turns on him, so does everyone else."

"He was right about one thing," Lance said, opening the wormhole. "We can't look for the old paladins." Cries and groans of opposition followed. "The universe is still in standby mode. If we disappear looking for the old paladins, it'll go crazy."

"Chaos," Caden said quietly.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Jesse asked.

"Keep doing what we've been doing. Take out smaller targets and work our way up to the generals. We do need to do that, so keep getting stronger, okay? We'll keep looking, and once we can pinpoint a system, or a planet, we'll be on our way."

"Sounds good. I'll call one of Lotor's side-men and get my system connected with theirs. We should be able to find them in no time," Caden reported.

"Great. And, guys? Despite the whole meeting-thing crashing and burning, today was a good day."

"Even though Ari made mortal enemies with that guy?"

"Especially because of that," Lance said. He heard them snickering and smiled, looking off into deep space. "I'm gonna find you guys. I promise."


	17. Chapter 17 - Blade of Marvin

Chapter 17 – Blade of Marvin

Lance stood in the center of the training room, surrounded by a square of paladins. "When you're fighting a general, you've got to be prepared for anything. Especially what you could never possibly expect, because that's what they'll probably do."

"What a great pep talk thanks!" Jesse piped up.

"Can we get this started already?" Ari said, gripping her bow.

"Are everybody's weapons set to non-lethal?"

"We went over this twenty minutes ago," she grumbled, and everyone nodded in consent.

"Whenever you're ready." He smirked.

Ari rushed first, as the typical hothead of the group. She shot an arrow, which he dodged easily, and swung with her bow. He blocked with his sword and knocked it out of her hands. She pulled out her Gladius and swung a couple times before he disarmed her and flung her across the room.

The twins rushed next, both on a side. He took out Caden first, blasting him across the room. Jesse was good with his spear, but Lance quickly recognized his pattern and fired him across the room.

He quickly formed his sword and swung around to combat Will. He didn't think it was quite fair with Will, since they fought together so often. He disarmed him quickly and formed his gun, but he heard Ari running up behind him. He quickly jumped out of the way, and she barreled into Will.

"WILL."

"It's not my fault!"

Caden stood a good distance and threw his stars, but Lance put up his shield and prepared for Jesse. Jesse swung his spear like a sword, leaving room to jab. Lance tolerated it for a bit, timing when Caden would throw his next star. He jumped out of the way, and it hit Jesse in the face.

"Sorry!" Caden screeched. He ran up and tried to engage, but Lance easily threw him on the floor.

"You guys really aren't good at this whole winning thing. Anybody else?" They all groaned on the floor, staying down. "You did good though." He tapped his wrist. "A whole minute. That's better then every before." One by one, he worked to help them up.

"You're too fast," Will complained, still under Ari.

"Then work on speed."

Caden didn't want any help, and got up on his own, brushing off his pants. "I don't think it's really fair. You've been training for years, and we just started a month and a half ago."

"First off, I've been training for less than a year, and on and off."

"But still," Jesse mumbled.

"You guys did a good job. Work on fighting with each other. Caden, Jesse, you've got the idea, but work on it. Your attacks should compliment each other. It's like a dance."

"Please don't make me tango," Ari mumbled.

"W—was that a joke? You're making jokes now?" Will asked, eyebrows up.

"Don't—flower—yourself, that doesn't make sense."

"Nope."

Lance's wrist beeped, and he glanced down at it, solemn. "I'll be right back, guys." None of them seemed to mind, so he took his leave. They started training with each other as he headed for the bridge.

n

"I have a mission I require assistance with," Kolivan said as soon as the screen popped up, not even waiting for introduction or explanation. "It will not need all the paladins of Voltron, only their leader." He looked down solemnly. "You."

"What's the mission?"

"One of our operatives will be infiltrating a Galra base still run by a rogue general. She will be extracting information and exiting. However, I do not have any other blades to accompany her, and she will need firepower."

"How long will this take?"

"Preferably two vargas."

"I'm in. Let me tell my team. Where will we meet?"

"The Utalia system, south of Katar."

"I'll be there."

n

Lance showed up in his paladin armor, complete with his helmet, in the Utalia system. He parked his lion on an asteroid and jumped over to the exact coordinates. A female Galra in Marmora getup crouched on the side of the asteroid. She looked…surprisingly familiar, but he couldn't place it. She rolled her eyes when she saw him. "You're the leader of Voltron?" He nodded. "Stay close."

She started jumping from asteroid to asteroid, making her way to a base in the middle of the field. He followed her quite well, never losing his footing. She looked surprised, but not really impressed, when he landed on the base next to her. "What next?"

"We go inside."

He carved a hole in the wall, and they slipped inside, into some storage facility. Silently, he followed her as she weaved between the boxes. A couple sentries patrolled the hallways, but none were alerted. They made their way to the core.

Once inside, she rushed to the center of the room. "I should be able to remotely access central command from here. The files should take thirty dobashes to load, and then we can get out of here."

"Awesome." He stood at her back, ready to fire his gun whenever. "So…what's your name?"

"I'm not in a talking mood."

"Just trying to make conversation."

"Focus on the mission."

"Okay."

Silence for a couple of minutes. Then, she sighed. "I'm sorry. I just—I just want to get this over with. I'm rarely paired with blades, much less…" She didn't finish her thought. "Kroila."

"Lance."

"Pleasure."

"Are you Kolivan's right hand man now or something?"

"He doesn't have a right hand man. We're all equal."

"Huh." Keith had always stood beside Kolivan, like he was the lieutenant or something. They'd fawned over how he'd been elevated to such a high status, so shortly after being added to the group. Of course, never to his face, or he'd turn as red as his lion. "Seems like he values you a lot."

"We're all expendable."

"Okay then."

n

Some time later, she lifted her head. "Just five more dobashes."

"Need me to do anything?"

"Make sure we're clear."

Lance peeked his head out of the core, and only saw a couple Galra soldiers marching by. Other than that, their paths were clear. He walked back in, standing on his post again. "We're all good."

"Excellent."

"This is going surprisingly well."

"I know. So many missions have gone awry lately."

"Yeah." He raised an eyebrow. "You're different from other Galra."

She scoffed. "Yeah, well, I've been through a lot."

"For the better?"

"I don't know."

He paused. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"We—we don't talk. Just focus on the mission."

"I guess it's different in Voltron. People matter, and it's awful when you lose somebody. Not really better, not really worse."

"It's better, trust me." She looked at the screen solemnly. "When you lose someone, if there's no fire when they're gone, their death had no point. It didn't matter. If they don't push you to be better—they died for nothing."

He lowered his head. "Did you lose someone?"

She nodded. "I've lost a lot of people. None of them—they didn't seem to matter." She turned, and he saw the side of her face. "I lost my son a month ago, and it's like—"

"YOU'RE KEITH'S MOM"

"With—wh—"

"You have a FRICKIN' mullet how did I NOT see that?" He buried his face in his hands, sure he was as red as Ari's hair. "Oh my gosh…"

"How do you—" Her face softened when the system started beeping, and her eyes lit up. "We've gotta go."

"What's wrong?"

"They know we're here."

"Did you—"

She held up a little USB-looking stick. "All right here."

n

They waited until they were safely aboard the castle before talking. Kroila plugged in the stick into the castle computer, and plenty of information Lance was sure was valuable. Instead of paying attention to whatever was up there, he found himself staring at the blade, whose mullet now had meaning.

"That should do it. Kolivan should call any moment with the next step." She turned to him. "How did you know my son?"

"He was the red paladin! And then the black one. We were—I think we were really good friends. I teased him a lot. But—I always felt like I could tell him anything, because he wouldn't tell anyone else. He—he was a really good friend." He wanted to say best friend, but wasn't sure if that was true for him.

She nodded. "I knew he was a part of Voltron…Kolivan told me that much. But I didn't know that someone from the original team was still alive." Her voice broke, and she took a breath to recover. She straightened her shoulders. "I was very proud of him."

His eyes widened. "You don't know?"

"What?"

"The Black Lion—we found out—it makes wormholes. We think they could still be alive—the original paladins. Somewhere in the universe."

Her eyes widened. "Where?"

"We don't know. We're tracking the entire universe now, but it's pretty big."

"He's alive," she whispered to herself, as if she could hardly believe her own words. "My son is alive."

"I think—"

Kolivan appeared on the screen, and they both snapped to face him. "The mission was a success?"

"A minor security breach, nothing more. They never saw us."

"Excellent work, as always." He paused, as if he was struggling.

"What's the next step?" Lance asked.

He hesitated. "I am stepping down as leader of the Blade of—"

"WHAT?" Kroila shouted.

"It is time—"

"You can't do that. Not now. It's crucial, now more than ever, that we have an experienced leader."

"Which is why I am appointing you as my successor."

She looked surprised. "Why…now?"

"There is a development I and two other blades will be pursuing for half a year, time of which the Blade of Marmora cannot go without leadership." He nodded at her. "You are more than capable."

"I can go on the mission in your place."

"No."

For some reason, it was a final answer for Kroila, but she struggled to maintain her posture. "Yes, sir."

"I will inform the blades tomorrow. You will be relinquished command then."

"What should I do?"

"Continue to tear apart the generals, and maintain relation with Voltron."

She glanced at Lance, who smiled like an idiot. "That won't be a problem."

"Excellent. The blades are in good hands." He smiled—just a little bit—before hanging up.

Lance covered his mouth, just in case she didn't want to see him grinning. "This is awesome—but also not awesome—so many things at once!"

"How soon will Voltron be ready to attack a general?"

"A month, maybe."

"We'll pinpoint one of the weaker ones, and begin to lower their defenses."

"Sounds good." He watched her walk to the elevators. "So you'll keep in touch? Even if there's not a mission? You're kinda like everybody's space mom now. Whether you like it or not."

She turned, a smirk on her face. "Keep me posted."


	18. Chapter 18 - The Butterfly Effect

Chapter 18 – The Butterfly Effect

"ALRIGHT, BUCKLE UP, BROTHAS, 'CAUSE TODAY WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT MEMES, WHICH I KNOW A SURPRISING AMOUNT ABOUT DESPITE ONLY BEING ON EARTH FOR THE FIRST TEN YEARS OF MY LIFE NOW KEEP IN MIND YOU MAY BE SCARRED FOR LIFE BUT WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO SPEAK MY LANGUAGE ARE YOU READDDYYYYY!?"

Jesse slowly raised his hand.

"I SEE A HAND IN THE AUDIENCE WHAT IS YOUR QUESTION SIR"

"Wh…what the heck, man?"

Caden looked around nervously. "I am also confused."

"It's not really that hard to understand, guys, there's just this thing on Earth called Meme Culture, and it's always been a part of me, despite being in space for so long, and I'm really excited to get back to Earth and see all the cool stuff they've come up with, but I don't want to do that until you both have experienced some of the beauty of memes as well!" Jesse raised his hand again. "Yes Jesse you have a question and I am willing to answer!"

"What…is a meme, exactly?"

"Jesse, Jesse." He put his arm around his shoulder. "One cannot simply define a meme. It is an art form, but at the same time, it is humor at its finest. It is how we humans can most simply express ourselves. It is true that a picture can tell a thousand words, but what exactly is it that we are trying to express? So we add words, in the hope that we'll be able to convey our deepest thoughts, but are we ever truly able to? Because we cannot know the thoughts of another human being."

The twins were silent for a moment. "I'm still confused; why is this important?"

"So a meme is a picture?" Jesse said, trying to puzzle it out.

"Yes—but also no—it's a picture with words. On the picture. It describes what you think when you see the picture, but—wait a second." He patted his pants. "I forgot my pictures. Oh, snap, I just realized I have no idea where they are."

"How terrible," Caden said, backing up nervously.

Lance's voice came through the intercom. "Guys. We need everyone on the bridge."

Caden and Jesse nodded at each other curtly, running down the hallway. "I'll be right behind you, guys! I just have some printouts of some memes I kept, I'll be there as soon as I find them I promise!" The door slammed shut, and he glanced around his room. "Now where did I put them?"

After two hours of searching his messy room, he finally dug out a dat boi, Pepe, and a couple SpongeBob memes. He carefully scanned them on the bridge, saving them on Caden's computer. "Ooh, what dat." He touched a little icon, written in Altean. "I can't read this."

He pressed a couple buttons while humming until the popup went away. "Attachments sent," the computer announced.

"Now someone else will be blessed with the humor of Earth." He stood like the hero he knew he was, before skipping around the room. "Hey! Guys! I found the memes. Where are y'all?"

Nothing. He saw a figure in the hangar, so skipped over there.

n

Lotor examined the only lion in the hangar, the towering Blue Lion. He touched it tenderly, smiling. "You're a beautiful girl. Too bad you can't function without a paladin."

"Yeah! I'm it's paladin."

Lotor jumped and screamed like a girl, for Will was standing right next to him, unnoticed. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Couple minutes." He held his hand up. "Sorry, sorry. Couple dobashes."

"I know what minutes are," Lotor snapped. He looked back up at the lion, stuttering. "I was—just—"

"Admiring my beautiful lion? I can see why. She's a beautiful thing." They stood in silence for a couple ticks. "Seriously though what are you doing here?"

"I was hoping to meet with Lance," he said through gritted teeth.

"Oh I don't think anybody's here. They're on a mission."

He rolled his eyes. "And you aren't?"

"Yeah, we should probably figure out what's going on with that. C'mon! Let's go!"

n

In the hangar, Will stared at the screen. "I have no idea how to work this." Lotor stretched his hand out, but Will slapped it down. "I'll figure it out." He climbed up on Lance's console and put his hands out where the screen would project. "Turn on!"

"It's not voice activated." Lotor facepalmed.

"Like you've worked this before." He leaned forward. " _Please_ work?"

Nothing.

He pulled out the phone device Caden had fashioned for them to use when they weren't wearing their suits. "Call the Best Black Paladin in the History of the Universe."

"Calling…Lance."

Will looked over at Lotor with a knowing glance. "You should've seen him blush when I first used this. I mean, he hasn't exactly seen me call him before, because he's always in a different room, but Ari was so surprised she had to cover her face." Lotor facepalmed again. "I think she's really starting to get a hang of this humor thing. I should really show her the memes. Speaking of which." He jumped over to Caden's console and pulled out one of the pages. "So this is Pepe—"

The call failed just as a large creature landed on top of the ship. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK—" Will screamed.

"A Crea! It must've followed me here from the Dayna system." Lotor drew his sword. "Stay here. Its offspring will be on board soon."

"Off—spring?"

Lotor rolled his eyes. "A Crea slowly deteriorates as it deposits smaller versions of itself onto a host, to destroy whatever is inside. I will destroy each of them, and the Crea will never reform."

Will looked at the black thing oozing outside the window. "Looks like goop."

"Stay here, you idiot!" Lotor rushed into the elevator, his gorgeous hair swinging from side to side. "Try not to get killed."

Will waited quite a while before deciding he had waited too long. Boredom took over, so he grabbed his bayard and rushed to the purple ally's side.

n

Lotor grunted while fighting the black creatures. They weren't any match for his sword, but they were quick. He hoped the Blue Paladin would emerge from the bridge and take a fatal hit. It wasn't according to plan, but it would work. And it couldn't be traced back to him.

"Huh!" He took out another monster, and looked on as three approached him. Slowly, his eyes widened as they combined into one mega monster, twenty feet tall. He slowly backed, then bolted forward under its legs. Too slow. The monster grabbed him by his legs and hoisted him high in the air. "NO!" He shouted, and his sword clattered to the ground.

"Let—go—of the—Emperor!" Will stood on the other side of the room, holding his axe in his hand. "Or else!"

The monster didn't seem to care, and kept its attention on Lotor.

"Waaaaahhhh!" Will shouted, and rushed. He threw his axe at the center, hitting it straight on. He dove under the screaming monster, his axe falling into his hand, and he slid to the other side as Lotor toppled to the floor. "Stay behind, your majesty." In a couple swings, the monster toppled to the ground.

Lotor breathed heavily, staring at the boy in wonder. "You—you saved my life."

"Don't sweat it."

"How did you do that?"

"I kindave just don't make a strategy and figure out what to do when I'm on the battlefield. Usually, it works out okay! Like today. C'mon, let's get to the bridge and figure out what's going on with my friends."

n

They were in another system, fighting for a planet's freedom. Will hastily and shakily piloted the ship to the planet. Lotor flew all around the bridge with the many twists and turns Will's inexperienced castle-flying induced.

"There! I see them below." He landed the castle on the ground. "Let's head out."

"I'm not going out there."

"You're our ally. You've got to be seen with us in the heat of devastating battle if you ever want to earn anyone's trust."

Lotor squinted. "Are you going to ever decide whether you're an idiot or a genius?"

"Never."

Will flew his lion on the field. "What's the status?"

"There's too many of them! We can't take them all out, and they're destroying the town."

"Wait, Lance! Look!" Jesse's voice came through, and they all observed the town, which lit up with temporary fire. Fifteen ships burst into flames and toppled to the ground.

"That's—incredible! They're utilizing the planet's fiery core and channeling it to fuel their weapons." Caden sounded a bit too excited about weapons. "That's amazing!"

"They're fighting back! They said they weren't going to, but they are! C'mon, let's finish this!"

The lions flew in formation, all their coms off, as Will seemed determined to talk Lotor's pointy ears off.

n

"Thank you, Voltron," the planet's leaders said. "You have gifted us freedom." He turned to the Galra. "Thank you, Lotor, for also coming to our assistance. This new age is truly a time of joyful beginnings."

"Thank you," Lance acknowledged, "but what changed your minds?"

"We received your transmission, in the middle of the battle." He stood taller. "It gave us hope."

Lance tilted his head. "We didn't send a transmission."

"You must have. Its location was from your castle-ship."

"What did it say?"

"There were few words. But it showed us that, no matter what we look like, or who we are, we must stand for who we are and what we do, no matter how strange. We will not bow down to what others say we must be." He stood proudly, his hand over his chest. "We all decided, and we stood with Voltron. For we are—dat boi."

Lance turned around, slapping his hand over his mouth, his laughter drowned out as all the people cheered.

Caden, Jesse, Ari, and Lotor all looked confused, staring at a beaming Will. "I don't get it," Jesse said.

Will stood proudly, his hands behind his back. "That, my friends." He gestured at the cheering people. "Is the power of a meme."


	19. Chapter 19 - Cloning Mechanisms

Chapter 19 – Cloning Mechanisms

"Pidge do you _know_ the odds that we should've been miles away from each other? Do you know? It's insane—like there's some mystical force that kept us from getting separated. Like we need each other."

"Matt if you don't shut up, I will somehow find tape and I will tape your mouth shut."

"But do you—"

"Yes I've been thinking about it for however long we've been stuck on this planet because you haven't stopped talking about it!"

"It's really neat. It probably holds the key to how we got here."

"Probably," Pidge mumbled, "but right now I'm concerned with finding everyone else. Not figuring out how we got here. Because if you and I are here, that probably means everyone's here. Maybe some Black Hole sucked us into the other side of the universe."

Matt crossed his arms, stepping over a tree trunk on the ground. "Now you're just picking things we don't know a lot about and assigning random properties to them!"

"Listen."

"I'm not in the mood for a lecture."

"No, shh and listen."

The two Holts were quiet. They heard a crackling of a fire not far away, and Pidge perked up. "That's probably Lance. He's the only one dumb enough to start a fire in the middle of a dry forest." They ran towards the sound, but the fire was abandoned. "Dang it."

"Wait—how is it still going if there's nobody around?"

"I—" Pidge's brilliant deduction was cut short by a snapping, and the Holts were swooped up in the air by a net made of vines. Pidge accidentally kicked Matt in the face in the struggle, and he yelped. "Sorry!"

"What the—I thought you said this planet was probably abandoned!"

"I said there weren't any signs of intelligent life!"

Matt studied the netting. "This looks pretty intelligent!"

"Wait!" They were silent, and heard quickly approaching footsteps. Pidge saw an intimidatingly large figure walking through the underbrush, but Matt couldn't see. "There!"

"We're gonna die!"

"Would you stay still—" Pidge fingered a loose knot, and started making a whole. "Not today," she growled.

"I'm gonna die without ever having been in a fulfilling, romantic relationship!"

"What about Jenny?"

"That—that ended badly—I didn't actually tell you, but—"

The figure sped up.

"Snap—"

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

"We—are—not—going—to—die." She made a hole big enough for herself and prepared herself for the drop.

"I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE."

"I'm younger then you." Her glasses fell through the hole. "Brilliant."

"I'M TOO BEAUTIFUL TO DIE."

She recognized the masculine figure walking near them. "Thank goodness." He smiled, hands on his hips, not quite able to speak. He shook his head, looking down. "Catch."

"I'M NOT READY TO DIE PLEASE SPARE US—"

Shiro easily caught Pidge on the drop and gingerly set her on the ground. "Are you guys okay?" He asked sheepishly.

"Wait—Shiro?" Matt struggled to turn around. "Oh! Shiro! I'm glad—" He slipped through Pidge's opening, and plopped on the ground ungraciously. "—I think I'd rather be dead."

"Did you make this?" Pidge pointed at the hanging net.

"I was hoping to catch some food while I found everybody. Seems like I found something better."

"Do you have any memory of how you got here?" Pidge asked.

"No. Do you?"

"Nothing."

Matt held a thumbs up. "I'm okay too, thanks for asking."

Shiro helped Matt up and made sure he was steady. "C'mon. I've got a base set up not too far from here."

"Great."

n

Shiro made a fire while Matt took some time to recover from his near death incident. Pidge set up a rough time making device she'd set up. "We've been here for a while. Maybe a couple of weeks, probably more."

"Any idea where we are?"

She shook her head. "No, but it's probably a good bet that everybody else is here, too."

"Our priority is to get everyone together, then figure out where we are and how to get back."

Matt sat up. "That's—that's a great plan. Totally up for it. But—this could take a while. Months, maybe. Especially if there's no other intelligent life. What's the plan for the rest of the universe? Without Voltron…" He didn't finish.

Shiro took a deep breath. "We'll just have to trust that the Coalition can take care of it."

Pidge's eyebrows scrunched together, for she was thinking quite hard. "I can study the planet and see if it matches anything any of us remember. But—we don't know how we got here. So it'll be pretty hard to figure out where we are."

"We'll work it out." His eyebrows scrunched, too. "It's—it's weird. It's all vaguely familiar."

"The planet?"

"No, not remembering. It's like—after we defeated Zarkon, the first time. Once I was back—I couldn't remember anything. Not leaving, and not much of coming back." Both Holts looked downcast, so he stood straighter. "But we don't need to focus on that right now. Let's work on finding everyone else."


	20. Chapter 20 - You Matter

Chapter 20 – You Matter

All the paladins lay on the floor in varying levels of pain. Lance stopped the timer and smiled. "Guys! You held out for five whole minutes. That's—that's amazing!"

"I think I want to sleep for twenty hours," Will groaned.

"I really was running for my money there. You're doing a great job."

"What do we need to work on?" Ari stood.

"At this point, just make your personal attacks more effective. You and Will did really well with that joint attack later on. That's the thing with long range weapons, you can stay far, far away while distracting the enemy, and then someone else on the team can jump in and take him out."

"Ok."

"Can I just sleep here?" Will asked. "I don't think I have the _will_ power to move."

Everyone groaned. "So long as you stay out of my way," Caden politely kicked him. "I'm gonna train more. So roll over."

He did so. Lance walked out of the room, and Ari followed him after a couple minutes. Will stayed glued to the floor while Caden and Jesse engaged in combat with one another. Will's eyes focused on the ceiling. "Do you think we'll get different kinds of weapons like Lance, too?"

"Maybe later," Caden grunted, "but he's been—with Voltron—a lot longer then we have."

"That would be pretty neat. You know what I'd like? A short sword, kindave like Ari's, but not really. Because that's Ari's thing, but something like that. Just an itty bitty thing that I can swing around. About the same size as my axe. That's what I want. A sword the size of my axe."

Jesse bested his brother and squinted at Will. "Why don't you just stick with your axe?"

"Be- _cause_ , it's cool to have more than one weapon.

He helped Caden up. "Wanna try with some sentries?"

"Yeah. I think if I throw it at between a 65 to 68 degree angle, it should lodge in the wiring in its neck, disabling the whole system. Then, it should be a goner." Caden pulled on his gloves and then pulled out his stars. "Let's give this a shot."

"A _shot_ , I get it. Because you've got throwing stars, and when you throw it, it's a—shot." Neither of the twins were paying attention. "Honestly, some people."

"How are you even this tired?"

"Well, I woke up about midnight, and I was really hungry, so I made myself a bowl of green goop, and then I found Lance in here, and we were training together." He paused. "And then I went back to sleep…around…five? Or six? Anyway, then we got up at seven, like usual, and headed over to Olkarion, and—you know the rest."

"Oh, so you were actually doing something useful."

"Yeah, that's why I've been sleepy all day."

"You should get some rest. Tomorrow's a big day."

"Please. Tomorrow's a big night."

The twins finished off the sentries and sat next to Will. Jesse sipped on a Space Juice. "Lance said we could have dates. You gonna ask Ari?"

"Oh, no. You think I'm crazy?"

Caden scooted closer. "C'mon. She's been acting differently around you. Maybe she's starting to see past the past and see that you two might actually make a good couple."

He looked over. "I don't…I don't know if I want to be with Ari. I mean, if she wanted it, I'd definitely do it, but—she's always running into all the dangerous situations to do some daring do good, and—it hurts my chest so much whenever she does that. Because she could literally die and we'd never ever get to talk again. I don't know."

Jesse leaned over to Caden, lowering his voice to which Will couldn't hear. "Yup. Sounds like he already likes her."

He stood up, forming his axe. "For the first time in my life—and I'd like this to be documented—" Caden pulled out a camera "—I would rather train then talk to you guys."

Both boys clapped. "So no talking?"

"Um, we've trained together before. I talk—" He struck a fancy pose "—and fight!"

n

Lance poured a bowl of green goop, watching it as it unappetizingly splooshed down. "Never thought I wouldn't like food," he mumbled to himself, digging in. The door opened, and he looked up to see Ari standing in the doorway. He smiled. "Hey."

She didn't smile back. "Can I—can I talk to you?"

"Sure." He motioned to the seat next to him, and she sat down hard. "What's up?"

"Why don't you sleep?"

He tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you don't sleep. At all. Will said that people are supposed to get about ten vargas of sleep a quintent, but you—don't."

He nodded, swallowing. He took a second, wanting to get his words right the first time. "You're supposed to. But whenever I go to sleep, I stay awake for about thirty minutes, just laying awake, and I'm always thinking about what has gone wrong and what could go wrong, so by the time I'm asleep—I have nightmares."

Ari nodded, as if she knew. "I used to have them, too."

"And they went away?"

She nodded again. "They—they always seemed so familiar, and I kindave wanted them to stay, 'cause I have no idea how I got—here."

He nodded. "It's tough."

"I'm sorry, I was just—wondering. Because you always seem so tired."

"I'm okay, really."

"O—okay."

He went back to eating his goop. "So the Coalition Ball is tomorrow."

"Mm hmm."

"You going with anyone?"

"Nope."

She stood promptly and left. He smiled and looked back at his food. "It's just you and me now."


	21. Chapter 21 - The Last Goodbye

Chapter 21 – The Last Goodbye

Keith pressed Hunk to keep moving.

"There's nothing, man. If we keep going, we'll just wear ourselves out. If we stay put, we might find a more effective way to move."

"We can't do that. We have to find the others," Keith responded aggressively.

"Getting stressed out is a bad idea, too."

"I'm not stressed!" Hunk gave him a look. "Okay, yeah, I'm stressed. We have no idea where the rest of the team is, how long we've been here, or how the rest of the universe is doing."

"We'll figure it out."

"And if we don't figure it out quick—" He stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"What? Some kind of monster? I hope it's not a monster. I'm really not in the mood for a monster. Considering you're the only one with a weapon."

"No, look." Through the thickening rain, they could barely make out a tall horizon, like a wall. "What is that?"

Keith ran ahead towards it, while Hunk moved as fast as he could on his still healing leg. The closer they got, they could see shady outlines of trees through the rain. Keith waited outside where the trees started for Hunk. He tilted his head. "We haven't seen vegetation anywhere, except for the rubbery stuff. Huh." He stepped towards it, and the rain stopped. "Wait—what?" He looked back at Keith, who stood behind a wall of rain. "What in the world?"

"What?" Keith's voice was drowned out a bit, and he stepped into the completely dry forest. "Wait—that's not possible."

"I mean, this is space. Infinite possibilities, infinite planets, really, you could find anything in the uni—"

"The others must be in here somewhere." Keith started at a brisk pace deep into the forest.

"Don't you think we should figure out how we got here? We literally just stepped from one ecosystem into another. Another—colder one." He shivered, and hoped that when he dried off, he wouldn't be as cold. "Don't—"

"They must've taken refuge here. We've just got to find them."

"B—"

"C'mon, Hunk!" He stood quite a distance away, waiting. Hunk plodded along after him.

n

A couple vargas later, Keith finally stopped for a rest. Hunk sat on a log, head in hands. His clothes were still pretty soaking wet; the cool weather didn't help him dry off any. He shivered, looking up at Keith, who had only stopped for his good. "I haven't seen—" his teeth clattered together "—any signs of life."

"We've got to keep going." He apparently meant right then, as he kept trekking through the forest.

"Great, just—wait." He saw something not of the forest, just ahead. "Keith!" He ran forward, ankle protesting, and tackled Keith to the ground.

"Hunk!" An arrow whizzed above them, and both boys' eyes grew wide. "Thanks."

"That probably means there's someone nearby," Hunk whispered.

"There'll be more." Keith, crouching, went to retrieve the arrow. He handed it to Hunk, and they both scooted past where the arrow had come from. Hunk observed it. "It's pretty good. Homemade. By stuff in the forest."

"Does that mean anything for us?"

"Nope. Wish we could find where it came from."

"It's probably guarded by something worse. C'mon. Let's keep going. Worst case scenario, whatever made this captures us, and we make a lot of noise."

"Have we stopped to consider that maybe we were the only ones who ended up here?"

"We're not stopping!" He snapped.

"Alright, alright." He kept following. He calmed himself by thinking about one of Pidge's viruses, that steady little beam, going all the way to the right until it was at one hundred percent. So satisfying. He heard a crack behind him and whipped around. "Hello?"

"What?" Keith sounded like he was making an effort to be less snappy.

"I heard something," Hunk whispered back.

"Like what?"

"Like something walking around." Keith drew his sword, but Hunk had different ideas. "Hello? Who's there?"

"Are you insane?"

"What if they're nice?"

"What if they're gonna try to kill us?"

"Guys?" Matt edged from behind foliage, breaking into a sprint. "Hunk! Keith! You're okay! You're here!" He squeezed Hunk and knew better then to try that with Keith. He turned back. "Guys! I found Hunk and Keith! They're okay!" He turned back, his voice accompanied by running footsteps. "Man, that's almost everybody."

Pidge ran up, dropping something on the ground. Shiro paced himself behind her, picking up her stuff. Pidge didn't even stop. "We found you!" She nearly tackled Hunk with a hug, and he hugged her back with matching passion. She hugged Keith, too, and he didn't protest. "Oh thank goodness."

Shiro and Keith hugged, then Hunk. Keith cut straight to the chase. "So you've found everyone else?"

The three of them looked at each other. "Not Lance. But we found Coran and Allura."

"Are they okay?"

Shiro handed Pidge her trash, and looked back at Keith, arms crossed over his chest. "Allura's fine, but they had a run-in with a creature. Coran's badly wounded."

"We're working on how to get off the planet," Matt informed him, "which is what this is for. Turns out there's been a lot of people who've crash landed on this planet. Which is weird. But we're building a ship, so we should be able to get off the planet."

"Sweet."

Pidge squinted. "Why are you guys soaking wet?"

Hunk looked at her, noticing for the first time that her huge green sweater wasn't wet. "You—there's a—the rain?"

She adjusted her glasses. "It's a forest. It hasn't rained in the two months we've been here."

"Two _months_?" Keith exclaimed. Shiro patted him on the back.

"There's an entirely different ecosystem on the other side of the planet. It's all rainy and rocky and stuff. Nothing like this forest."

She snapped. "It's an Almaveranata!"

"We've been here for two months," Keith said to himself, letting it sink in.

"What's that?"

"It's a planet with two entirely different ecosystems. I read about this! There's only, like, ten of them in the known universe! Rain, a forest…I bet we're on Sempsa!"

"Good work, Pidge."

"If I'm right, which, of course, I am, there's a desert planet nearby with a modernized hospital. We could take Coran there!"

Shiro nodded. "How long until the ship's ready?"

Matt looked at his hands, as if they would have the answer. "Maybe…ten quintents? At least. Actually, with Hunk here, maybe…eight? I don't know, I haven't built a ship before."

"We'll work with eight."

Keith stood. "I'll look for Lance while you guys finish the ship."

Shiro nodded. "Good idea. Come back every night, so we don't lose anybody. I'll stay with the ship in progress. We don't have a lot of weapons around here. Let's head back to camp now. Allura and Coran will be happy to see you both."


	22. Chapter 22 - The Dance

Chapter 22 – The Dance

"So, tonight is the Coalition's Ball, which is supposed to unite the planets and stuff. Basically, we have to be there and look pretty. Try not to throw down with anyone. Ask someone to dance. Probably no one will say no."

"Eh, you'd be surprised."

"He means to us," Caden said.

"Ooh burn!" Jesse backed his brother up. Will pretended to look offended.

"I'm glad we're making fun of Will, but why exactly is the Coalition hosting this?"

"This is the first big social event that'll be propagandized. It's gonna be a big deal, and if it works, it'll be annual thing. Any planets that want to join the Coalition will be there tonight, as well as everyone who's already a part."

"Including Lotor?" Caden groaned.

"Including Lotor. It'll essentially be the biggest party of, like, ten thousand years. Maybe the biggest gathering of alien species ever. Not only are you guys representing Voltron, you're representing your race." He looked at Caden and Jesse. "You guys will have some other Alveri there, so make an effort to connect with them."

Jesse nodded. "Yeah, Dad said they were sending Chief's son up here. He's…not the brightest, but he sure is nice. Like me."

Will punched his shoulder. "Are you kidding me? You figured out how to get Blue to shoot cold water instead of ice!"

"Hey, that was easy. You just needed to adjust the polarity."

"Still. You're smart, too."

Ari raised her hand, and Lance pointed at her. "Can I head out for a bit?"

"Sure." She apparently meant right that minute, for she turned and left the building. "Alright, you have a couple hours of downtime before we head out. We're going in our separate lions, so just be on time? Please?" The twins nodded in understanding, but Will's head was down, deep in thought….or something. Lance sighed internally, but put on a smile. "Alright. I'll be in the training room if you guys need me."

"I'm coming with you," Caden said, and they went down the elevators.

Jesse nudged Will. "So. There's gonna be a dance tonight, and Lance pretty much just told us to socialize, so…"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"What do you say we head over to some nearby planet and pick up some dates? That'll cheer you up."

He brightened up. "Sounds good."

n

Ari let her hair down for the shopkeeper. "I'm going for a I-could-kill-you-in-seconds look, but also you-can-tell-me-anything." The shopkeeper nodded and walked into racks of dresses. Ari followed. On the first try, she pulled out a rich red dress, the exact shade of her hair. "Perfect," Ari breathed. "But I'd like to try it on to make sure."

"Of course." She led Ari to fitting rooms, where she slipped on the fancy dress. "If you don't mind me asking, is this for the Voltron Coalition Ball?"

"Mm hmm." Ari kept her status to herself.

"He's a lucky boy."

"I'm going by myself."

"Well, perhaps you'll find him there." Ari opened the door so the shopkeeper could see. "You look stunning in that dress." Ari liked the weight on her lower half, while still able to move up as easily up top. The color was perfect, and it fit like a slipper. The shopkeeper touched her bare shoulders. "All of our dresses employ technology to fit the wearer perfectly. Every curve, every imperfection—they become natural."

She held her head higher. Oof, was she really considering confessing her deepest, darkest secrets to a shopkeeper? "I don't usually wear dresses. But—I don't know. Something's changed. I have really good friends now, and I guess—I don't know."

"You're not afraid to be vulnerable anymore, my guess?"

She straightened her shoulders. "Sounds right." She looked herself in the eye. "Still feel powerful."

"No one could take that away from you." Ari took off the dress behind closed doors, and the shopkeeper went back to the front. She pushed the money away. "It's not everyday I have a paladin of Voltron in my shop. I—you saved my home planet from Galra control. My family is safe, because you weren't afraid to step up to the challenge. Please, if you have time—I have friends specializing in hair and makeup. They could complete the look."

"I'll take it," Ari said, not knowing what makeup was.

n

Lance, Caden, and Jesse arrived promptly. The twins quickly disappeared in the party, but Lance made a point of finding Lotor. He spotted him quickly on the other side of the room, but plenty of alien species wanted to talk to the famous black paladin, who had lost everything, and yet, still fought. With four teenagers, nonetheless. Thankfully, Lotor soon saw him in the struggle and pulled him away.

"Thanks, I thought I'd never get away."

"You look dashing," Lotor said with a smile, gesturing to the same tuxedo Lance had worn to the Carazon affair. "You truly stand out."

"Thanks."

"I'd like to apologize for my actions as of late. It seems my own paranoia has caused Voltron stress, but thankfully under your leadership, no losses."

"It's okay." He paused for a second, unsure of how much he should trust the purple lizard. "Kroila's the leader of the Blade of Marmora, and she's working to weaken the defenses of some of the smaller generals. We're getting closer."

Lotor smiled…serenely? Was that possible? "Your paladins seem much more focused in battle, in the feedback I've been given. You have many compliments coming your way."

"They've worked hard."

"You've trained them well, even better than Shiro trained you."

Lance gulped. The last thing he wanted was to be put on a pedestal above _Shiro_. But he remembered reading in a book on Earth that you should always accept a compliment from a prince. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." _And handsome_.

"Sorry about the mix-up last week. Will's quite the handful."

"He's a brave warrior. I hate to admit it, but he saved my life, a debt I will never be able to repay."

"He's probably already forgotten about it." But Lance smiled. "He's a good kid."

"They all are." Lotor glanced at him. "You should be proud."

"I…am."

"I know they dislike me, but hopefully we can arrange another gathering, where we can get…better acquainted."

"Sounds good." They shook hands. "It's good to have you on our side."

"Likewise."

And yet, despite the friendly smiles and compliments, Lance felt deep inside that the opposite were true.

He glanced around the room, his eye catching on Caden and Jesse across the room, sneaking into the back room. "What the—" He put down his drink and hurried along.

"Just—one second, hi." Caden tapped a Galra's shoulder. A huge one. He suddenly began to wish he'd picked a smaller one. "Yeah—hi. My name's Caden. I pilot the Green Lion. I was—was wondering—if you could—answer a—oh gosh."

"Hi, I'm Jesse, piloting the Yellow Lion. My brother's wondering if you could answer a question for us."

The Galra faced them, hands behind his back. "What question is that?"

"We were wondering—there's a guy, Hermanu? He was a Galra commander, and we were wondering—if—"

"If you knew where he was," Jesse finished.

"Hermanu sided with the most powerful of the rogue generals, Ranveig the Ruthless." The Galra squinted at the boys. "Why do you want to know?"

"Do you know where he is?" Caden burst out.

"His location is unknown. Are you looking to side with him?" The Galra gripped his sword.

"That won't be necessary," Lance said, stepping up. "Our first priority as Voltron is to rid the galaxy of all those who would seek its destruction." Caden thought that sounded like a very smart sentence, but his hands still trembled. "Thank you for your help."

The Galra grunted and turned away.

Caden couldn't meet Lance in the eye. "I—I'm not—I'm not betraying Voltron, please believe me when I say there's a—well—a semi-good explanation for this. It wasn't Jesse's idea, I was just—was just trying—to—" He put his hand over his mouth. "I get this looks really bad, but—"

"Caden." Lance put his hand on the Green Paladin's shoulder, and his other on Jesse's. "I don't think you guys are traitors. That's crazy. I'm sure there's a good explanation for this." The twins sighed with relief. Lance's eyes went from Caden's to a group of possibly powerful allies behind him. "Let's—save it for later? We've still got a lot of work that needs to be done tonight, and we should probably focus on that."

"O—okay." Caden straightened himself. "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't." Lance pulled both of them into a hug. "We'll figure this out. I promise."

He walked towards the possibly powerful allies, leaving Caden and Jesse looking fondly in his direction. "Man, Lance is awesome," Jesse said.

"Look." Caden pointed behind Jesse. "Cencuries. They're aerial species. They could probably help us with our fleet."

Jesse's eyebrow raised. "You're really gonna take this whole making—allies thing seriously?"

Caden nodded. "I trust Lance. He'll help us find Uma. But we've gotta help him."

"Oh trust me, I'm with you to the death." He stood taller. "But do we really gotta talk to strangers? I'm not really good with small talk."

"Just talk about one of your crazy invention ideas. They'll think you're a genius."

"Smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave." The twins laughed and walked over to the creatures with wings.

n

Will arrived at the Coalition Ball exactly one varga after he was supposed to. He looked around, but Lance was no where in sight. "Just—talk to people. Just. Talk." He walked into another room, one bigger, with a staircase going down. He glanced over the balcony and saw a figure in red, which caused him to stop breathing.

Ari saw him, too.

He stepped down carefully, easily seeing her weave through the crowds seamlessly. He couldn't stop staring at her. She was like a picture, something Renaissance artists would've painted and hung in the Great Hall. She scowled, and he guessed she didn't like him staring. Eh, he was close enough for conversation. "You look beautiful."

"Don't patronize me."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

She softened. "You—don't look so bad yourself."

"Th—" Someone bumped him from behind, and he fell into Ari. She stumbled back a couple steps—he guessed she couldn't move around as well in that dress—before getting a footing and pushing him back up. "Sorry," he mumbled, breathless.

"It's okay. It's crowded in—"

A couple whooshed past them, tripping on the tail of her dress. "Why are you just standing there?" One of them hissed.

"Dance," the other whispered.

Will and Ari looked at each other. Suddenly, Ari grabbed Will's waist and pulled him into a swing. "What are you doing?" He whispered.

"D—dancing. That's what we're supposed to do, right?"

"Yeah."

They spun around in a circle.

"I don't actually know how to dance," Ari admitted after the spin.

"Don't worry, I do. Just follow my lead."

He whispered steps under his breath, so just she could hear. After she got the hang of that, he whispered the count under his breath, a waltz. "There you go," he encouraged her, and she smiled. "You're doing great."

"What now?"

"Now we…talk. Until the music ends, and then we can do whatever."

"O…okay."

"So…you've never danced before?"

"That is what I said."

"That's wild."

"Not really. You know I've never been to Earth."

"But it's a pretty universal concept."

"I've never really danced with anyone before."

"Most couples dance." He remained oblivious to her ravenous blushing. "I really like it, because you get to know someone. Way more intimately, without all the crazy kissing and touching. It's just—two people, getting to know one another."

"Sounds—nice—" She cut herself off.

"What about you?" He spun her seamlessly in a circle. "Do you like it?"

"I like it." The music ended, but neither of them moved. "I really…like it."

"We should…probably…" For the first time in his life, Will didn't know what to say.

Ari shook herself out of it. "Thanks for the dance." She broke out of his gentle grip and headed straight for the exit hangars.

"Good talk," Will said, hands still stuck in the same position. "Good…talk."


	23. Chapter 23 - My Friend, The Galra

Chapter 23 – My Friend, the Galra

"Alright, guys. So, the Coalition Ball went well, and we have at least twenty more species joining up. Since I was expecting about seven, you guys did some good work last night." They smiled at him. "With the extra support, we'll be able to start taking down the generals. We'll be in the worst of the combat, so work with your lions as well as your hand-to-hand combat. That's what we'll do today."

"Anyone want to join me in the training room?" He looked at the twins, who shook their heads. "What about you, Ari? I haven't fought anyone with a bow yet."

"I'm staying in my room," she snapped, the harshest any of them had ever heard her, like her heart had just been ripped out of her chest and sliced in half in front of her. She turned on her heel and stalked out of the room, never looking back.

The boys looked at where she'd gone. "Whoosh," Jesse spoke first, "what did you _do_ last night?"

"I didn't even do anything," Will wondered aloud incredulously. He put his hand on his head. "Yeet. I'll be in my room." He took the stairs.

The twins looked at Lance. "Can we—talk? About—stuff?"

He nodded, sitting cross legged on the floor. "Shoot."

"To start with—" Jesse said "—this is more of Caden's story. So I'm just gonna sit here and provide sarcastic commentary and facial reactions."

"O…okay."

"Okay." Caden took a deep breath. "When—the Galra had been on my planet for—before I was born. We just got used to it. The commander who was on board wasn't too harsh. He wasn't kind, but he wasn't mean. There wasn't really a reason to fight." He squirmed. "The dude that was over our city was Denae Hermanu, and I just remember that because—because I was really good friends with his daughter. Uma."

Jesse slapped his hand over his mouth in mock surprise. "He was in love with her."

"I was—I was not! But we were best friends. She said so. There weren't any Galra her age on the planet, and she had to stay because her dad was stationed there. He didn't mind us being friends, but we wouldn't date or anything. That—wasn't acceptable."

"But he wanted to!" Jesse stuck his finger in the air.

"Would you quit making everything about romance?" Caden begged, and his twin was quiet. "After Voltron resurfaced and stuff, and Zarkon started going Black Lion crazy, the commander got really strict all of a sudden. We think he wanted to get strong, so if Zarkon went away, he could have a shot at being Emperor. Then, one day, they just left." He took a breath. "I've been looking for Uma."

Lance rubbed his back. "It's okay."

"She's not like other Galra. She thinks for herself. She can fight, but she's really nice. She's—kind. I don't want her to get hurt, but—but she's in the middle of all of it."

"Her dad might be siding with Ranveig so she'll be safe."

Jesse rolled his eyes, flopping on the floor flat. "He doesn't really care about her. He really just wants her to take over his position when he's gone, just so the family name carries on. He's weird like that. But she doesn't want it, obviously. She's smart."

"We'll find her." Lance looked up. "If Hermanu's with Ranveig, she'll probably be nearby, but maybe not with them. We could make an undercover extraction."

"Or—" Caden put his hand up nervously, then down again. He stood. "I wonder if we could attack him directly."

"We're not strong enough," Lance reminded him.

"But with the new Coalition members," Jesse piped up, "and with the Blade of Marriage with us now, we might stand a chance."

"Especially…" Caden spoke absentmindedly "…if I can take down their defenses."

Lance raised an eyebrow. "You could do that? Not that I doubt your technical-y, science-y skills or anything, I think you both are totally awesome an capable, but that really sounds out there."

"I think…with some time, it could work. Jesse? Help me out with this?"

They apparently meant to start right that second, as they starting tapping on their computers. Lance smiled at them, though they could not see his pride. "I'm gonna check up on Ari. Call me if you need me for anything."

Though he knew, they wouldn't.

n

He tapped on her door, unafraid. "Ari? Can I come in?"

She opened the door, dressed in the clothes she'd come in. "What do you want?" She snapped, then softened. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were Will."

"Yeah, about that." He sat on her bed. "What happened last night?"

"Nothing happened last night." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away.

He tilted his head, patting on the bed. "Ari. Talk to me."

She sat on the bed, arms still crossed. "I…" She stood and closed the door, sitting back down. "I hate him. I hate him! I hate him so much." He patted her back. "Just—whenever I'm around him, he makes me sick. I hate it."

"That bad?"

"He didn't even do anything! He was just being himself. And—ugh. I actually feel sick." She hugged her torso. "Whenever I'm around him, I feel like my head'll spin so much I'll get a headache. And it's like someone's poking my stomach with a needle."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Ari. You don't hate Will."

"YesIdo."

"Listen." He leaned back. "Sometimes, when two people get to know each other, they realize that they like each others' personalities. They like hanging out with the other person, and sometimes they want to be with them for the rest of their lives."

She tilted her head. "…So?"

"Somewhere along that road, they do something, maybe something small, like groaning at a bad joke, or just asking you about your day, and you realize that you're in love with them. And that's when you know that you want to fight to be with them for the rest of your life."

Ari smiled at the word. "Love. I've—I've heard it before, but I haven't really known what it means."

"Well, first off, there's different kinds of love. There's family love, which is when a group of people—sometimes a blood family, but not most of the time—and they hang out all the time, and they trust each other completely, and they're pretty unstoppable."

"Like all of us. Voltron."

Lance nodded. "There's friend love, when two people love each other unconditionally and are always there for each other. It's like family love, but just between two people. It's really intimate."

She nodded. "Like you and me."

He blushed. "Then there's romantic love. It's when two people like each other, and they make a point to spend time together, and if they decide they like each other enough, they get the government involved so the other one can't leave." He looked up, wistfully. "It's really special, and people are obsessed with it. Finding that one person that makes you complete."

Her eyes widened. "I don't—I don't think—Will and me—I—"

He patted her back, laughing. "Look, I know you and Will have had a rough start, but I think you like him. You might talk to him, see if you like it. He obviously likes you."

She turned red. "He— _does_?"

He stared at her. "You really are oblivious to everything."

"But what if I do like—love him? I've never loved anyone before!"

He patted her back and stood. "We'll work on that when we get there."

She sat on the bed for a couple more minutes, just breathing. Suddenly she stood and grabbed her bayard, stalking out of the room.

n

"Level twenty, commencing."

The words were like music to Will's ears. He braced himself for the attack, which turned out to be a single tank. "Just like Lance," he whispered to himself. He quickly realized his hand to hand attacks weren't working, so he threw, aiming for the head. He missed by a couple inches. The tank loomed over him, but suddenly, an arrow whizzed straight through its head, and it toppled to the ground.

"Hey." Ari retrieved her arrow.

Will scrambled to his feet. "Hey. Listen, I know you're—"

"I'm not mad."

"I was gonna say frustrated."

She smiled, looking down. "Yeah, I'm frustrated."

"I'm…sorry."

"There's nothing you need to apologize for."

They stood there for a couple moments, both awkwardly thinking of what would be appropriate to say. Will took a deep breath. "Dang it, I made it weird again." She laughed aloud. "You wanna…train?"

She snickered. "Yeah, let's train."


	24. Chapter 24 - Moving On

Chapter 24 – Moving On

"Lance! Lance!" Keith shouted, even though he was trekking back to the camp. "C'mon, man," he said to himself. "Lance!"

"Keith!" Shiro came jogging through the forest. "Good, you're back. We're meeting."

"Great," he mumbled to himself.

Back at camp, Allura stood, different from when she normally sat next to Coran. Her arms were crossed, eyebrows scrunched. She looked up when they walked closer, and everyone formed a circle. Shiro crossed his arms, too. "Pidge?"

Pidge pushed up her glasses. "The ship's coming along pretty fast, and we should be done in two days."

Allura fidgeted, and Shiro nodded at her. "Coran's getting worse. This climate is worsening his condition, and…he may not make it two more days."

"And we can't even leave, because we haven't found Lance."

Allura looked down. "As much as it pains me to say this, we can't keep looking for Lance. We need your help here to build the ship. We've already been attacked by one wild creature, and Shiro barely managed to fend it off."

"What are you saying?"

She seemed disappointed at herself. "For the time being, we must operate under the assumption that—that Lance is dead."

"WHAT?"

"If we focus our efforts on finding him, Coran could die!"

"This is _Lance_ we're talking about!"

"I would like nothing more than to find him, but if we haven't found him now—" Keith turned and ran away. "Keith!"

Shiro sighed. "I'll go after him."

n

Endurance was a part of his life, and running was no exception. He bolted for at least five minutes, never changing pace. When his lungs finally gave out, he collapsed on the ground, punching it out of frustration.

Waiting things out. He knew how to do that. He waited on his mom, he waited on his dad, he waited on Shiro. Two out of three wasn't bad. He knew if he just stayed on this planet, he would find Lance, and everything would be okay.

But there was a choice to be made, and they'd already decided.

"Keith!" Shiro called, jogging over. He didn't even get a word in before Keith started ranting.

"We can't just leave him here. We're all here, he's got to be out there somewhere, I know it. We just need a little more time—"

"We don't have any more time." Shiro's voice was soft and comforting.

Keith sat on a log, head in his hands. "I—can't—"

Shiro sat next to him. "We're not saying Lance is dead. Of course, we'll come back and look for him, but Coran needs medical attention. If Lance is out there, he's been fending for himself for a while now. He'll be able to hold out a couple more days." Keith nodded, wordless. "We need to work together to get everyone off this planet." He stood. "Including Lance."

He stood with him. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's okay. I know you care about him a lot. We all do." He patted his back. "Don't worry. Nobody's thinking about leaving Lance behind for good. We'll come back."

"I hope so." He paused. "I wonder how the universe is doing without Voltron."

"Just have to trust on that one, too." A lightbulb popped in Shiro's head. "That's an idea."

"What?"

"Well, we each have a connection with out lions, right? Might try connecting to them."

Keith's eyes widened. "Then we could each have our lions. That would make finding Lance a lot easier."

"It's worth a shot."


	25. Chapter 25 - Break It Down

Chapter 25 – Break It Down

Lance walked in on the third best conversation he'd ever heard.

"How do you NOT know what a PICK-UP line is?" Will nearly screamed.

"It's not that surprising," Jesse said, trying to calm him down without getting too close. "A lot of customs aren't universal. But that doesn't mean you can't—"

"How are PICK-UP lines _NOT_ UNIVERSAL?" He looked like he was losing his mind. "How do you FLIRT?"

"Arranged marriage," Caden said, not looking up from his tablet.

"Oh, so THAT's what's universal," Will said, annoyed. He spotted Lance and motioned him over desperately. " _Please_ tell me you know what a pick-up line is.

"Duh. Who doesn't?"

"These three! Seriously, the nerve of some people…"

Jesse still looked interested. "So what is it?"

"Well, what a lot of people who don't have the whole arranged marriage custom find a significant other that they like for themselves. A pick-up line lets the other person know in a witty and flattering manner that they like them and would like to get to know them."

"Uh…like what?"

"Here, Will." Lance licked his hand and slicked back his hair, tugging on his armor for a bit of neck room. "Hey girl, are you a knife? 'Cause you're looking pretty sharp."

They were quiet, as Will blushed and looked at them for a reaction. Caden squinted. "But he's not a knife—"

Jesse tilted his head. "Or a girl. I'm confused as well."

"And don't flirt with my boyfriend." Ari squinted at Lance, who gave her a thumbs up.

"No, no, no," Will said, motioning his point. "Ari, it's just an example. Second, you can use pick-up lines on friends. Third, most pick-up lines are used on girls, Jesse, but you can say boy instead. Caden, it's a simile."

"You mean a metaphor?"

Will's eyes were slits. "Don't make me come over there." He pointed at Lance, then back at himself. "We're gonna do this again. Okay. Lemme think of a good one." He breathed through his hands for a moment. "Okay. Hey boy, are you from Nashville? Because you're the only ten-I-see."

Lance felt like laughing, but had been flirting long and well enough to suppress a laugh. It was a good one, but Caden tilted his head. "What's Tennessee?"

"I'm pretty sure Lance isn't ten. He's an adult."

"I'm actually—not," Lance said, wondering if his Earth birthday had passed or not.

"Also, what's Nashville?"

"Why are you just flirting with each other?" Caden asked.

"Good point." Will slid on the couch to Ari. "Hey girl, are you the sun? Because revolving around you really makes my day."

She blushed deeply, and the four boys rioted.

"That was amazing." Lance wished he'd've thought of it first.

"I think I understand now," Caden said, nodding.

"Can I—can I use that?" Jesse asked.

"Yes, that was amazing, I'm glad the smoke's cleared, and yes, with proper citation." He put his hands on his hips.

Ari squinted. "But—we're already dating! You don't need to flirt with me!"

"I still want to let you know how much you mean to me."

"But I already know."

"Aww, babe. That's really sweet. But I'm still gonna flirt with you all the time to see how red I can get your face to turn."

"Okay," Lance interrupted in the nick of time. "Meet in the bridge in ten. The blades have a lead on a general, and we're gonna help them out. Suit up."

Will hummed the Little Einstein's theme to himself, adding miniscule motions at times. The game was that no one saw him softly breakdancing to a child's tune. On the other end, Caden and Jesse teamed up to dance undetected, only to a lullaby they had been sung to sleep with. In the middle, Ari facepalmed, while Lance remained blissfully ignorant.

Kroila saw all this ridiculousness, and still managed to keep a straight face.

"General Yvera will be crossing the coordinates I'm sending you in exactly four vargas." She glanced at another blade, who worked on a computer. When the blade looked up, Kroila looked back. "We will take down their defenses, and with Voltron, you shall destroy their main ship."

"Sounds like a plan." Lance looked at Will, who stopped the second before. "Get the coordinates on the screen." When Lance looked away, Will moonwalked to his console. Ari gritted her teeth and tried not to smile. The map popped up on the side, along with nice little ships to show where everything should be. "Looks good to me."

"Excellent." She gave her blades a look, and they left the room.

Lance nodded. "Alright, guys, go get with your lions. We'll work on training with them and forming Voltron. This is it." They nodded in unison and headed down the elevator together. Lance turned back to the screen. "How are you?"

She shrugged. "Fine. The blades couldn't seem to care less who leads, so long as it's one of their own."

"You're doing a great job."

"Thank you. Any updates on where the old paladins might be?"

He shook his head. "But once I have anything, I'll call."

"Thank you." She fidgeted. "Have you informed the rest of the universe that they're still alive?"

"No. I was going to wait until they got back, and then they could tell the universe themselves."

"And what then?"

He paused. "I—I guess Shiro'll go back to being the black paladin. Or Keith. And Will, and Ari, and the twins…I guess they'll just go back to normal life. Which is good. They should. They should just have time to be kids. I wouldn't want them in this fight forever."

"The lions are bonded to their paladins."

Kinda random, but "Okay…?"

"What if the lions refuse to revert to their original paladins?"

Lance stopped at the thought. What if? He didn't know how he felt about being the Black Paladin with all his friends watching him. None of his paladins knew how he was before, nor did Kroila. Only Lotor, but he'd moved past that. "I guess—we'll try to get them to go back. But they will."

Kroila lowered her head. "If you say so."

n

"Voltron, Voltron, we are gonna beat-cha, we are gonna see-ya demise, demise, yeah!"

"That doesn't even rhyme," Ari snickered.

Caden rolled his eyes, and Jesse sat up. "So…are you two dating, or something? Like seriously, what's going on?"

Will lost his breath for a second. "What's dating?" Ari asked.

"It's where two people who like each other spend time together to figure out if they really like each other."

"Oh. Then yes."

Will lost it.

"Can we please change the subject?" Caden asked. "I don't—really wanna talk about relationships."

The twins had told Ari and Will about Uma, too. They agreed. "I actually have something," Will said, his voice high. "I've been thinking about it."

Everyone had something in protest. " _Think_ ing?" "You know how bad that is for you, Will." "ABORT MISSION ABORT WILL WAS THINKING" "Do you suppose I could get a drink first?"

"Thanks guys, I appreciate the support."

They all snickered.

"But seriously. Like, we're not the first people to form Voltron, but whenever people say, 'oh Voltron!' they could be talking about the old paladins, which, I'm sure, were a million times better then us."

"That's a good point," Caden said. "Surprisingly."

"Thanks. Wait—"

"So what are we supposed to be called?"

"Voltron, Generation Two!" Jesse shouted.

"We're the third, Jess."

"Voltron, Generation Three!" He amended.

"That's pretty long," Ari commented.

"I've got it!" Will announced, and then allowed for a dramatic pause. "What about—V3. Voltron, 3.0. Teenagers saving the universe, taking down one general at a time."

"Surprisingly…I like it." Caden said slowly.

"V3!" Jesse shouted.

"Alright, guys." Lance zoomed out in the Black Lion. "Let's give this a shot. Form Voltron!"

"V3!" They shouted.

He tilted his head. "Wait—what?"

"That's what we decided to call ourselves!" Jesse announced. "V3, for Voltron, Third Generation! Because there's three sets of paladins." He paused, thinking back to the many stories Lance at told. "Well, three and a half."

Lance smiled. "That's—that's awesome, guys. Alright, form V3!"

And they did.

n

Between the twenty-six Coalition allies, the Blade of Marmora, and Voltron, General Yvera didn't stand a chance. The mission took a varga to go in, destroy, _and_ clean up. Lance made a wormhole back to the castle, and they headed back down.

They sat in the lounge room, but Lance stood behind a couch. "You guys did good. From this point, it'll just be taking down the bigger and bigger ones."

"That was easy, though," Jesse said, hand doing a thing. "Will they actually be a challenge in the near future?"

"You've been training hard. They'll be more difficult, but nothing you can't handle."

"Man, that moment when we all walked into the bridge, like, 'whadup boi you picked the wrong side!' Her face! Man, that was priceless."

Ari smiled. "Caden taking out the control panel from twenty feet away was pretty impressive."

He shrugged, blushing. "It was just a matter of throwing my star so it hit the central wire with exactly the right amount of force to break the wire but not the casing. It's not really that difficult." He shrugged. "Well, it is difficult, but I've been working to perfect it for three months now."

"Yeah, and Ari and I hardly ever miss now!" Jesse leaned over the edge of the couch excitedly. "Those Galras don't stand a chance!"

"And hacking into the mainframe wirelessly with my star," Caden said absentmindedly, "I figured out where Hermanu is. Ranveig's stationed at a desert planet a couple systems over."

"Sounds like we'll be headed there eventually." He crossed his arms. "You guys—you're the best. I couldn't have asked for any better paladins." He paused, fidgeting. "If—when the old paladins come back, I—…"

"We've already talk about this, Lance." Ari said, standing. "We'll step down."

"Voltron will be stronger with them," Caden said, "from a scientific standpoint. Each paladin leaves a mark on their lion, and when an old paladin comes back, the lion is stronger than ever."

Lance thought to when Shiro had returned after Keith had taken over. Voltron had been stronger, and probably would be unstoppable if they all went back to their original lions. "Yeah, that makes sense. But that probably won't happen for a while anyway, but I did want to talk about it."

Caden and Jesse looked at each other, a knowing look in their eyes. "There's—actually something we wanted to talk to you about."


	26. Chapter 26 - The Side Quest

Chapter 26 – The Side Quest

"You know the algorithm for finding the lost paladins? Well, it dinged yesterday. Not with an exact match, though." Caden sat at his console.

Lance leaned in, eyes wide and bright. "But with something we can work with?"

"Definitely." He tapped a couple times, and three planets popped up on the screen. Each were two completely different colors, with a distinct line in between. "This is a—well, it's my name for it, but a Halfie."

"Hey!" Will raised his hand. "We've seen one of those before, right?"

"Mm hmm. Because the spontaneous wormholes the Black Lion makes are, well, spontaneous, I couldn't get exact coordinates. However, it did show the other side of the wormhole that sucked the paladins through—I was able to extract some of the elements from this side—were so sporadic, they had to be from a Halfie."

Will nodded, his eyebrows scrunching so hard as he tried to understand. "So…these are the only Halfies in the universe?"

"Well…" Caden tilted his head at Jesse, who stood taller.

"There's only seventeen known Halfies in the universe. However, because the universe in infinite, there could be an infinite number of them. We knocked out most of them because they're so densely inhabited, and the populations would've definitely found them by now."

"Who would want to live on a planet like that?"

"It's pretty much a normal planet, except for the two completely different climates. And they're generally tiny for planet proportions. You could travel from one climate to the other in four days!"

"Now I want to live on a planet like that."

"Not to worry," Jesse said, "quick fun fact, Earth has a 26% chance of eventually forming into a Halfie!"

"Wait, wh—"

"So these three planets are uninhabited?" Lance said, pointed at the screen.

"Yup. And it's pretty impossible to get off these planets, since there's no ships, no people, no anything. If they're anywhere in the known universe, they'll be on these three planets."

Ari stepped forward. "And if they're not, we'll look for new Halves."

"Halfies."

"Whatever," she snapped.

"You're being nice. It's a good look," Caden said.

"Pull these up on a map, will you?"

Jesse ran over as Will pointed at himself. "Will me? Will you as in Will me? Do you want me to do it? Or—okay Jesse's doing it. Sorry if that was my job."

Ari snickered.

The planets were a rough triangle. One had a jungle rainforest and a slimy swamp. A second had lava on one half and tundra on the other. And the final one had torrential rain and a forest. "We'll go in order," he announced."

"So to our lions?" Ari asked, on her tip toes.

"We've gotta make sure nobody else needs our help. Will and Ari, contact the Blade of Marmora and make sure they're good to go. Caden and Jesse, make sure the Olkarions are good. I'll call Lotor."

They all left, shouting their thanks that they didn't have to talk to the purple dude. Lance smiled and directed his call. Lotor popped up on the screen after a couple minutes, smiling. "Lance. My apologies, I was in the middle of court when you called."

"Sorry for interrupting."

"No interruption. Any discussion with you is preferable over their accusations." He clasped his hands behind his back. "What can I do for you?"

"We found the paladins."

Lotor's face bounced back and forth between a variety of emotions Lance couldn't keep track of. He stuttered for the first time in his life. "That's—wonder—ama—how long until you have them on board?"

"A couple days, maybe. I was calling to make sure it's okay Voltron on hiatus for a while."

He wore a tight smile. "Of course, that's fine by me. No need for Voltron here! But I will call if we are under attack."

"Of course."

He smiled again. "Congratulations, Lance. You have done a fine job."

n

The paladins zoomed through the Black Lion's wormhole to the other end of the galaxy, chatting incessantly.

"Do you think the other green paladin will like what I've done with the place?"

"Will we get to hang out with them before we go back home? Because I'm thinking this yellow paladin guy is a cool dude and I'd just like to be friends with him."

"Do you think the blue paladin will think I'm cool? I'm cool, right?" He paused. "What about you, Ari?"

"I don't really care."

"There's the red paladin!"

She snickered, then sat up. "Is that it?"

"Probably. There's not any other planets in the vicinity."

"Then _why_ is it surrounded by Galra warships?"

"Wait, what?"

They all scooched forward on their seats to see a huge warship spawning transports, which brought thousands of soldiers down to the planet. "LOTOR!" Will screamed.

"Nice try, but he doesn't know we were going to a Halfie. Can we evade this at all?"

"Nope. We've already been locked on their scanners. They're definitely aggressive." Caden leaned forward. "I think—yeah, this is one of the rogue generals' warships. A middle one. Not too hard, not too easy. In the middle."

"Alright, then. Let's put some of that training to use. Form Voltron!" The lions spun in the sky and came down at the giant robot that everyone loves. "Let's take out the warship." It was one of the larger ships, but they had a larger weapon. "Ari, is your lion glowing?"

"Yeah!"

"On my count." He readied his bayard. "One, two, three!" They both went in at the same time, forming the huge, glowing sword. "Let's go! Will, Caden, give it all you got."

"Awesome possum!"

With one swipe, the warship split in two and burned. The transports fled, and Voltron settled on the icy side of the planet, breaking into five different lions.

Lance spotted a camp up ahead. "Let's go to that. Get to your individual speeders, okay?"

n

"WHERE IS IT?" General Aula yelled at her commanders. "It's here somewhere. The map isn't lying. These exact coordinates—" She heard a bang at the door and whipped around. It burst open in a massive explosion, revealing five good looking paladins of Voltron. "Voltron! How did you—never mind that. Destroy them! And find that key!"

Ari, Will, Caden, and Jesse each took on a couple soldiers and commanders, and Lance rushed for the general. "Alright. We can do this my way—the easy way—or your way, which really isn't that much more difficult for me, but you can have your pick." She whipped out an impressive looking sword. "So it's gonna be your way. Okie dokie."

She swung at his left side, and he jumped to the left. "So—" Their swords clanged together "—what are you—doing—on this—planet?"

"I'm going to destroy you and bring your head to the Emperor!"

"Okay, first off, Lotor and I are on good-ish terms, and second of all, you're not really good at this whole conversation thing."

She let out a battle cry and lunged toward him. He battled her for a couple more minutes, then yawned. He knew he wasn't tired because of the first, but it was stretching out anyway. "Alright, I'm done." He formed his gun and shot her leg.

She yelped in pain and fell to the ground.

He crouched beside her. "Listen, I want to go easy on you. So just tell me."

"I'm not telling you where it is! I don't know."

"Where are the—" He paused for a moment. Saying 'paladins' wouldn't work, that'd just be confusing. And V3 wasn't common terminology, at least not yet. He made a quick decision. "Where are the humans?"

She paused, tilting her head. "Humans?"

"Like me. A human."

She studied him carefully. "That's why you're here?" He nodded. "There's no life on this planet. I've searched it top to bottom, time and time again, with no losses. If your humans were here, I'd know."

He sighed. "Well, thanks for your honesty."

"Lance? Are they here?" Ari shouted from afar. They'd finished off Aula's forces.

He shook his head. "Go ahead and get back to their lions." He turned back to her. "Thanks for telling me. Now, I can't just let you go, and I can't send you to Lotor, 'cause he'll just kill you, and that's not fair." He stood. "Just—live here. There's no ships, so you can't get off, but you can build a pretty sweet life here. And you've got some friends. I made sure my paladins set their weapons to non-lethal, so these guys are just being drama queens." He walked away. "Good luck!"

"Black Paladin!" He stopped, as she made an effort to stand. "I—I can't believe I'm saying this, but—I hope you find what you're looking for."

n

"Next stop?" Ari asked.

"Let's head back home for now. I need to talk to Lotor," Lance said.

"Hey Ari! I found you something."

"What?"

"It's this little key. It's kinda cute."

"Where in the world—"

"One of the commanders had it on him."

"Are you—"

"It's the key to my heart!" He burst out.

"Do you know how cheesy that is?"

He nodded. "Yup."

She snickered. "Thanks. I'll—keep it forever."

Lance felt the need to step in, lest Caden and Jesse die of laughter. "Alright, pull it together. Rest up tonight. We've got a big day tomorrow."


	27. Chapter 27 - Up, Up, and Away

Chapter 27 – Up, Up, and Away

Keith carefully wrapped his jacket around Coran's leg, studying that moustache carefully. Despite being on the planet for who knew how long and being torn apart by wild animals, Coran was, by far, still the most beautiful of them all. Even unconscious, he could probably win Miss Universe. Which was why it was their main priority to keep him alive.

"Keith! Need a little."

He turned at Hunk's call. "Need a little what?"

"Just need a little. You're a little. Pidge is busy, and my hands aren't small enough." He sighed and stood, jogging over to the makeshift aircraft. In under a week, Pidge and Hunk had managed to design, find materials for, and build a sturdy ship. He hurried over to Hunk, who held up a piece of the ship. "Just slip your hand under there and see if you can connect the red wire to the blue insertion." Keith got down on his back and slipped under. Quickly, he completed the task. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Hunk dusted his hands off. "How's Coran?"

"Still good, but we're running out of bandages."

"No kidding." Hunk poked his arm. "I can see your skin."

Keith brushed him off and turned away, but not before looking up at their creation. "Looks good."

"Yup. Hey! Do you know where Shiro is? I've got a couple of things that need to be melded together asap, but I haven't seen him."

He hadn't, either. "He's around here somewhere. I'll go look."

n

Shiro sat cross-legged on the forest floor, arms rested on his legs. He tried every exercise he knew to relax and clear his head. He took a deep breath. "Okay. I know it's a far distance. But I know you can hear me."

Hopefully, even from the far distances of the universe, the Black Lion was listening and willing to respond.

"We need your help. Coran's condition is critical, and even if we get the ship done in time, there's not telling where Lance is. He could be dead for all we know, and even if we can come back, we won't be able to scan for life. Please." His hand tightened into a fist. "I trust you."

"Shiro!" He heard footsteps behind him, and opened his eyes. Keith ran up. "Hunk needs you."

"Okay." He stood, brushing off his pants.

"What's wrong?"

He sighed. "I was trying to connect with the Black Lion, but it seems like it's…unavailable."

"Sorry."

"We'll figure out another way."

"It's weird, though. Even after all that's happened, the Black Lion always goes back to you. You'd think it would, unless—" Keith paused at the thought "—unless it found a new paladin."

Shiro thought that was a more favorable outcome than what he'd been thinking. "If it has, the universe is better off. We've been here at least two months, maybe more. And the universe needs Voltron."

n

"We're ready to go," Pidge announced, as Allura and Matt helped Coran on board. "There's no auto pilot, so whoever flies has to follow the UPS system."

"UPS?" Shiro asked.

"Universal Positioning Device. GPS really didn't work in the situation, but it's essentially just the same concept. I was draw a rough universal map from memory with Matt and Hunk, and it's pretty accurate. Once we're in space, we can sync up to whatever maps are going over to the radiowaves." She paused. "Who's driving?"

"Nose it!" Matt shouted, and Shiro, Allura, and Coran were left without fingers on their noses.

"Is this some human custom?"

"Yeah, if you don't want to fly the ship, put your finger on your nose," Hunk explained.

She did so, and moved an unconscious Coran's hand, so he wouldn't have to fly the ship either.

Shiro shook his head, smiling. "Let's get going."

n

From the forest side of the Halfie, it wasn't too difficult to take off. Once they were in higher altitudes, they could see the massive rainstorms still raging on the other side. Pidge settled herself in Hunk's lap, a computer on hers. "Okay. The coordinates are right on the computer up there, and we should be there in less than a day." She glanced at Allura. "Is that enough time?"

She nodded. "It should be. Altean bodies are incredibly resilient, and he should be able to last just one more day. Once we reach the hospital, he'll be fine."

"So…what until then?" Hunk asked. They all looked at the cockpit.

"We rest up. We've all been putting in long hours with not a lot of sleep, so get some rest. You too, Keith."

He propped his feet on the dash. "I can sleep up here." He settled in shotgun, shivering. "Hey, Allura? Do you have my jacket?"

She glanced around. "I'm sorry, it must've fallen off."

"It's okay." He took one last look at the planet, knowing he was thinking of whom everyone else was thinking. "We're going back soon, anyway."


	28. Chapter 28 - Death

Chapter 28 – Death

"Scanners are picking up…nothing. They're not there, Lance," Caden reported, settling back in his lion. "We heading to the next one?"

"I will," Lance told him. "You head back to the castle. I'll check out the last one."

"Roger that."

He made a wormhole back to Daria, which Caden flew through. Caden had worked tirelessly to create software to scan the entire planet for life, then narrowed it down to human qualifications. After two hours of endless work between both of them, they'd come to the conclusion that the paladins weren't there.

His green paladin was pretty awesome.

He made a wormhole to the last one, a rainy-forest planet called Sempsa. If they weren't on this planet, they weren't anywhere in the known universe. He'd wanted Caden to go back to the castle because it would either be a tearful reunion, or crushing disappointment. He made himself lightheaded by hoping so much for the first, so much that he'd worn his normal clothes instead of the Black Paladin uniform. They could think what they wanted later, but hugs were more comfy in his jacket.

He set up the scanner, blowing air through his lips. "Okay, okay, okay. This is it. No more scary decisions or freaky aliens you gotta deal with. Just—" He squinted at the planet. On the forest half, nearly smack in the middle, he could see a tiny but distinct black circle. "What the—" He piloted the Black Lion down to the surface.

He took his bayard. Just in case.

Upon examination, he could see the grass and surrounding trees had fallen, like an explosion had gone off in the area. A pretty small explosion, but explosion nonetheless...maybe. He was pretty clueless. It could've been something else, Caden would've been able to tell.

"What happened here?" He wondered aloud. Caden had said the planet was uninhabited as far as intelligent life went, and this was pretty recent. "They were here," he decided. His stomach did a couple turns, but he forced himself to keep his head on straight. "Okay, okay. Which way—"

He heard a growl behind him and froze.

Turning slowly, he saw a huge, hairy, Bigfoot-like creature looming not twenty feet away. It slobbered drool all over the forest floor. "You look hungry," Lance said, "so I guess we have that in common?"

The creature screeched and lunged forward. Lance grabbed his bayard and shot a couple rounds, but they didn't penetrate the creature's fur. Just in time, he changed to his broadsword and sliced along the chest. It jerked back, stunned, and he went in for the kill. It went down for good.

Lance breathed heavily, leaning on a tree. "There's got to be more of you," he said to himself between breaths. He turned around. "So where—"

A bright red glint on the forest floor caught his eye.

Accompanied by the creature's groans, Lance slowly walked over to examine it. When he got closer, he knew what it was. "Keith's jacket." He ran to it, picking it up off the ground. "Keith?" He called. Nothing but wind. "Keith?!"

The jacket was wet. He touched the soaking inside, and his fingers came back red. His eyes widened, and he dropped it on the ground. "Keith! Keith, this isn't funny."

The creature moaned behind him, and Lance fell on his knees.

"No. No! You have to—please, don't—don't leave me here—Keith! Shiro! Pidge! Hunk! Allura—Coran…no, please…please."

He collapsed on the ground and cried.

n

An hour passed, then two. His cries were silent now, his shoulders barely moving. He couldn't hear the creature struggling to live behind him. He hugged the jacket to his chest, getting sticky blood all over his shirt. Every now and then he'd sniffle, and hug himself harder.

He was alone.

He sniffed, and looked forward. "C'mon, Lance. Shiro wouldn't want you to stay here. He'd want you to get up. You have to—have to."

Between layers and layers of exhaustion, that worked as motivation. He stood and mindlessly took his bayard back to the Black Lion. He hissed at the creature when he passed it, just in case, for good measure. He felt like he was high, or drunk. Or both. It was numbing, and better than thinking.

He stood at the foot of the Black Lion, staring up at its eyes. "It's just you and me now," he whispered, voice hoarse. The eyes glowed yellow, and Lance stepped inside. "They're actually gone."

Silent tears streamed down his face as he sat at the cockpit. As the lion silently turned on, his coms lit up. "Lance? Lance, are you there? We could really use some backup."

He sniffed and touched the button. "Talk to me, Ari."

"We got a call from Olkarion. They're under attack. We're holding them off, but I don't know for how long."

"I'll be right there." His voice cracked.

"Roger." She paused. "Did—did you find them?"

He shook his head, then remembered he couldn't see her. "I was too late," he whispered. "I—I couldn't save them."

She didn't say anything on consolation, which he appreciated. After another deep breath, he took the Black Lion to the air. "No rest for the wicked, right?"

n

Back at the castle, the paladins had the audacity to leave him alone. He guessed Ari had told them what had gone one, and they'd correctly assumed he needed some space.

Sleep was out of the question.

All night long, he passed level after level with his sword, criticizing each cut, every step. Keith would've laughed at his footwork. He tried hard not to think of what he'd lost, while simultaneously trying to remember all the good times he'd had with them, so he could move on. It was a bad place to be.

At what seemed like four in the morning, he sat against the wall and passed out, black static filling his dreams.


	29. Chapter 29 - Therapy

Chapter 29 – Therapy

Some time, late in the morning, Lance woke, groggy and feeling like and old man. He cleaned his bayard, slipped on a white t-shirt and jeans, and went to the lounge. He found Caden and Will setting up some kind of screen. They turned and smiled when they saw him.

"I found this gaming system in the storage room. I figured—if we're taking a day off—we could just hang out in here?" Will nearly fell off his stepladder, leaning over to the left. Caden grabbed it so it wouldn't wobble, and both boys looked at him expectantly.

He nodded. "Sounds good. Where's everybody else?"

"Ari's doing stuff with her lion, and Jesse's sleeping in. He was up late last night putting in this food machine thing we found at the Space Mall," Caden said. "He should be here soon. I told him what we were up to."

"Great." He laid on the couch, watching them and smiling.

In a couple minutes, they'd finished setting up a projector screen and the system. It buzzed to life, and Mario Kart showed up on the screen. Lance unintentionally smiled. He remembered telling Pidge that it was his favorite game, and he could ace Rainbow Road in three minutes flat without falling off. Lance guessed she'd found it, and been practicing out of spite. What a Pidge thing to do. He must've missed it in all her mess when cleaning out.

Maybe going through their things would help…

"I'll be this green guy," Caden said. "He's a smart dude."

"I'm Mario!"

"Call Yoshi," Lance said. He just needed a medium sized character. He liked the bike for this one, especially if they decided to do Rainbow Road.

"…Have you guys started yet?" Jesse stood at the doorway, rubbing his eye. "I'll probably lose, but I'm in."

Will handed him a remote, bouncing impatiently. "I haven't played this game in so long."

"You're probably rusty." Caden carefully scrolled through his karts, choosing one with lower speed but better maneuverability. Will and Jesse both picked the first cars to pop up. Lance picked his bike, and they moved on. "Does everybody know how to play, or do we need to do a tutorial?"

Will and Lance shook their heads, but Jesse just shrugged. "I'll figure it out."

"I added a feature, so you can turn off other competitors. You know, NPC's. So it'll just be the four of us." He scrolled through the maps, looking at his humans. "Which one is easiest?"

"That one." Lance pointed at Rainbow Road. "It's pretty neat to play."

"WHAT?" Will shouted. "Are you insane? That's Rainbow Road. It's so hard they made memes out of it."

Lance kept a straight face, and Caden looked from him to Will. "No offence, Will, but I trust Lance."

"You're gonna regret this," he murmured, and hunched his back.

Needless to say, Lance _obliterated_ them. By the end of the match, Jesse was just facedown on the couch (probably sleeping), Caden looked like he was going to explode if he slipped off the map one more time, and Will shook his head serenely, murmuring "I told you so," under his breath. Lance finished his three laps in less than two minutes, and politely waited at the finish line for any of them to finish their first lap. When Will got around, he intentionally bumped Lance across the line so the race would finish.

Caden seemed so in shock. "Why would you do that to me?"

"There's something really satisfying about showing someone your culture in such a warped way. It was fun on my part."

Jesse raised his head. "Yeah, there's this thing here where these tattoos appear when you do some daring-do, like, when you become a man or something, but we told Will they appear when you say a curse word for the first time."

"I believed you for, like, a really long time." Will seemed okay with his naive nature. "And I happen to like to think the best about people."

"Yeah, it's one of your good qualities." Lance ruffled his hair.

Ari walked in wearing her paladin armor, a bucket of popcorn under her arm. "Jesse?" He hummed in response. "You're my new favorite alien." Will put his hand over his heart, gaping. "Alien, idiot. You're a human."

"Oh, okay."

She sat next to Jesse's feet.

Will rested his head on Lance's leg. "So…how are you?"

He took a deep breath, glad he felt all cried out. "Fine, I guess. It's tough, but I'm tough. We all are."

The blond boy nodded. "Yeah. Man, and here I was looking forward to retiring."

"You've been the Blue Paladin for three months and you're already ready to retire?" Caden tilted his head.

"Well, you shouldn't get someone's hopes up about that! I was planning my retirement party and vacation and stuff, maybe take Ari out to a nice restaurant before going back to Haza." He squiggled to get in a good position, then booped Lance's nose. "You're the one that needs to retire."

"No kidding." He laughed. "Ari can take over."

"I am _not_ being the Black Paladin."

Jesse laughed. "Could you imagine, though? Man, Ari would probably make us work for days without end. I'd be starving. Hey, Lance? If you decide to die or disappear or anything, give me a few days heads up so I can start working on a buffet in my lion."

"Do I get a bar in mine?" Caden mumbled.

"I'm right here, idiots."

They laughed, then gave way to silence. Will squiggled more, then sighed, content with his position. "So what now?"

Lance took another deep breath. "We'll—focus on taking down the generals. Once they're all gone, we won't be so busy, and we can work on other things. I'll let everyone know we're back in business." The thought stuck him suddenly, and he covered his face with his hands. "Oh, I've got to tell Kroila."

"Who?" Will looked up.

"It was—Keith's mom. She's the leader of the blades."

"Ah." He nodded. "The Blade of Macarena."

"…No?"

Will moved as Lance stood. "But we're taking a day off?"

"Yup. Enjoy it. I'm gonna work your butts off tomorrow."

"Okay. I'm gonna play Rainbow Road on repeat until I'm good enough to defeat you! Nyeh heh!"

"You do that, buddy." He smiled as he headed to the bridge.

Ari looked at the remaining boys. "Is—is he okay? I don't know how humans are supposed to react to grief."

Caden shrugged. "I mean, I'm not a human, but he seems pretty much the same. Which makes sense. He did think they were dead when we first got here, anyway. Now they're just definitely dead. I mean, Will acts like an idiot, Ari's a depressing mess, and then there's superhero Lance. I don't know."

"He'll talk to us, right?" Jesse propped his chin up. "Like, if he's really sad and needs to talk about stuff, he'll talk to us? He won't just bottle it up? 'Cause that's what I do, and it's really unhealthy."

"You do that," Caden agreed.

"What if he needs help and is subconsciously asking for help, but none of us can help him because we don't know?" Ari started to subtly freak out. "He's always there for us, and now we can't be there for him."

"I think he'll be okay," Will said softly. "He's not okay, but he's getting there. He'll find someone to talk if he wants to." He looked aside for a moment, thinking. "It's like—I read this in a book on Earth. He's like a house with shutters closed. You can't see anything, but you know there's pain inside."

Ari frowned deeply. "Dang it."

"What?"

Her face turned red. "I think I love you."

He turned red, too. "Wh—what?"

"Well, Lance said that when you love somebody, they complete you, and it's like everything that I don't know, you know, and everything you're an idiot about I have a hold of, and I just—argh! This is stupid. I liked being alone."

"But you're not supposed to live life alone! As science-y people say, humans are social creatures. We're butterflies."

"What does that even mean?"

"Means we should hang out with people. Not all the time, we'd go crazy. But we can't stay alone all the time either." He smiled at her. "But it's okay. I—yeah, I love you, too." He stood, holding out his hand. "Ariana, I love you."

"You're an idiot." She took his hand and pulled him down on the couch. "But you're my idiot.

Jesse smiled at them snuggling. Caden looked at them awkwardly. "S—so can we play Mario Kart?"

n

Lance didn't think about what he was going to say. He marched straight to his console and called the blades, taking deep breaths as it registered. Kroila popped up on the screen, looking around expectantly. "Lance?"

"Can I—talk to you in private? It's personal." She nodded, and other blades in the room left. He took a deep breath. "I—I checked out the Halfies in the known universe, and—" He clutched the red jacket in his hands "—they were on Sempsa, but I was—I was too late."

She took a moment, closing her eyes. "He's gone." Lance nodded. "He's actually gone."

"I'm so sorry." He choked.

"I never got to tell him."

"I'm—" She sobbed loudly, so he paused, letting her finish.

"He thought—I hated him. I never—I didn't—" Lance lowered his head, and she clutched her console. "We—we fought, the last time I saw him. He was so angry that I left him, that Hank left him, and—I never told him. How much I wanted to stay."

"It's not your fault."

"I'm never going to—to tell him. How much I love him."

"I'm sorry."

She took a breath. "It's—we can move on. We have to. I don't understand how or why the Black Lion sent them there, but passing blame will do no good for anyone. The best we can do is continue to live and honor their memories."

"We've lost so much," he whispered.

"And here we are." She laughed. "Why—why am I laughing? That doesn't make sense."

"It's a human thing to do." He smiled.

"I—I don't say this often, but I'm proud of you, Lance." He was sure he was blushing. "They would be very proud of you and all you've done."

"Thank you," he whispered. "But seriously. Stop it. I don't like that." He covered his face; it burned up.

"You're gorgeous."

"Would you quit!"

"That hair…"

"You know what—" He struck a pose "—you're absolutely right."

She laughed again. "I'm glad you're here." A siren interrupted them, and Lance tapped on his console. She leaned forward. "What is it?"

"There's a distress signal coming from a planet halfway across the galaxy." He jumped up. "So it's not gonna be a down day after all."

"Are you up for it?"

"Eh." He cracked his neck. Sure, it'd just been confirmed all his friends were dead and he hadn't slept well in over three months, and if he'd gotten there sooner, he might've been able to save them. Not that there was a choice. He was the Black Paladin, leader of Voltron. He didn't get a break. "Anything is possible with coffee," and quickly hurried to his lion.


	30. Chapter 30 - The Good Kids

Chapter 30 – The Good Kids

Voltron flew to the planet's surface, but nothing seemed to be an issue. The other four paladins awaited his instructions, but he settled back, patting his armrests. "Alright. Let's go in carefully. We don't know what's up with the planet, so be prepared for anything."

"Is it a trap?" Ari questioned aloud. "Should some of us stay with the lions?"

He shook his head. "We'll all go in. If it's a legitimate distress call, it'll be good for all of us to show up at once." He remembered peoples' uneasiness when Keith hadn't showed up when he had been with the blades. "Keep your guard up."

The disembarked and headed into the village.

A couple blue humanoid aliens rushed towards them. "Voltron?"

Lance nodded. "What's the problem?"

"There's something under the surface!" They motioned. "Come!"

Ari shrugged. "Sounds good."

They followed the aliens to the center of the village, where a couple of them listened to the planet, eyes closed, hands on the ground. Their foreheads were creased, and they looked worried. One stood when he saw them, when the guide touched his shoulder. "Paladins of Voltron. Thank you for answering our call."

"What can we do?"

He gestured at the icy planet. "There is something under the surface of the planet, placed by Galra spies."

"The generals," Will whispered to himself harshly, shaking his head.

The alien didn't seem to notice. "There is a device tearing the planet apart magnetically, and soon, it shall tear the planet apart in a massive explosion."

"We can evacuate using the castle. Will, can you go get it?"

The alien held up his hand. "The planet has vast populations. It would be impossible to evacuate us all in the short time we have. Perhaps twenty dobashes, at the most. We suspect the ignition is nearby, perhaps in the asteroid field. If you can get to it and remotely detonate it, we can stop the explosion."

"Okay." He turned to his team. "Get to your lions. Scan the field and find it."

Caden stayed for a moment. "We might not be able to detonate it, if it's made for this planet. I'd have to analyze the genetic code, and that'd take at least three vargas."

The alien nodded. "Kay!" A good looking alien, appearing much like the elder, stepped forward. He had nice straight black hair. He was about Lance's height, with striking gray eyes. He stood like he owned the place, and Lance went ahead and assumed he did, just to be safe. "This is my son, Prince Kaedos Bahnschrift. He understands the genetic code well enough to assist you."

Kay didn't look too happy with his mission, as he scowled upon seeing Lance. "Fine, whatever. Let's get this over with."

"You do realize your home planet's blowing up, right?" Caden asked.

"It'll be fine." He crossed his arms and followed Lance back to the Black Lion.

n

Kay politely waited in the back of the lion, or perhaps he wanted to avoid social interaction as much as possible. Lance would've liked to talk to him, as he was the future leader, and his planet hadn't shown interest in the Coalition as of yet. Eh, he'd grow up when he got the crown. Hopefully. Lance plugged in his coms. "Have you guys found it yet?"

"Negative," Caden responded first.

"It's weird. There's nothing interfering with our servers, either. This whole field is dead."

"It's got to be out there somewhere."

Kay stepped behind Lance. "Are you done yet?"

"We can't find it."

"I thought you guys were supposed to be the supreme saviors of the universe. You guys suck."

"HEY!" Will took immediate offence, and Lance snapped off his coms.

He carefully piloted around the field, scanning it himself. "Have you considered joining the Voltron Coalition? It's getting pretty big. There's more reason to join now then ever."

"Yeah, like I'd want to team up with a bunch of teenagers and a captain who has no idea what they're doing."

"I—know what I'm doing."

"Sure." He scoffed. "How old are you again?"

"Seventeen." Lance didn't know that for sure, though. How long had it been since his last birthday?

"Yeah, I'm not interested. Not that it's my problem. My dad'll probably join up, 'cause he knows that he's doing." The last fact was packed with sarcasm, and Lance nearly laughed making a comparison between Ari and Kay. Eh, Ari was a lot better then when she'd started. Will was having a great influence on her. "Honestly, I'm not interested in teaming up with people who don't even know how to use their weapons."

His scanners were still dead, and he'd nearly finished going around. "Care to elaborate?"

"Voltron. I mean, you just go along, and if your lion tells you to do something, ooh, we gotta do it. They could be trying to kill you for all you know. In fact," he snapped, "isn't that what happened with the last ones?"

"Okay." Lance slapped his coms back on, hearing his paladins chatting nervously. "Alright, guys. Let's settle down on this big asteroid and figure this out."

They unloaded from their lions. Kay didn't need a space suit.

"There's nothing out here." Caden waved his scanners around in anger. "What's up with this? I don't get it."

"Scan the planet," Lance said, starting to panic. "See if you can—get anything."

"Yeah, you know what you're doing," Kay remarked.

"We're trying, man. Mind helping out?" Jesse asked.

"It'll be fine."

"Yeah, sure, maybe if you'd be a little more apathetic. I think you're overdoing it in that department."

"Jesse," Lance warned, and Kay smiled.

"Lance." Caden said, his voice struck with fear. "There's no electromagnetic pulses from the planet. It's all radioactive activity. Like—nuclear activity."

"What's that mean?"

"It's not the Galra. The planet's dying."

Kay shook his head. "What?"

Lance ignored the pretty prince. "Why would—Caden, call the king."

He did so quickly.

The chief stood proudly on his planet, hands clasped behind his back. "Voltron."

"The Galra didn't do this."

"I know."

"Why would you—"

"May I speak to my son?" His voice cracked. "Please?"

Lance nodded and handed the screen to Kay, who jerked it out of his hand.

"What are you going to tell me next, that the Galra aren't even our enemies?"

Ari pressed her lips together. "Actually—"

"Kay, listen to me. I could not bear to tell you the truth."

"What?"

"Our world is dying. It will perish—" The picture rocked and scratched "—but I could not bear to lose you. You should be far enough away in the asteroid belt to withstand the blast."

Lance put his hand over his mouth and walked away.

"I don't understand!" Kay shouted.

"You must live on, my son. Carry the legacy."

Kay turned and grabbed the nearest paladin. "Take me down there!"

"Kay, listen. We don't have long. I must tell you—" Lance could see tears streaming down the king's cheeks. "—Kaedos Mal Bahnschrift, I am proud of you. You will do—great things."

"No—dad!"

"Remember what I've taught you. The key is the key to life."

"Please!"

The feed sputtered and died. In front of them, the planet exploded. The sound followed shortly after.

They all froze, watching the space light up with fire, debris, and shining ice lighting up the area with blues, greens, and purples. Slowly, the colors faded along with the sound, until space went back to boring black, and the debris floated around.

Lance expected Kay to collapse on the asteroid, to cry. Or to raise his head and accept his place in the universe. Instead, he grasped his holster and turned slowly. "This is your fault," he growled. "You could've evacuated them to start with. Or scanned the planet at the beginning. You didn't have to stand back and let them die!"

"I'm—sorry."

"Sorry isn't going to cut it." In a flash, he tackled Lance suddenly and put a knife to his throat. "But this will."

Will tackled Kay, wrestling him on the ground. "It's not Lance's fault! Maybe your people should've actually fought for their lives."

Caden rushed over and stabbed a needle in his knee, and he immediately started losing consciousness. "I—I hope the Black Lion kills you…too..." His eyes fluttered closed, and he slumped.

Lance hoisted him over his shoulder. "We'll take him back to the castle."

"Is that a good idea?" Ari stepped forward. "He did just try to kill you."

"He just lost everything he's ever known," Lance said. "There's no way I'm leaving him here."

n

The next morning, Lance walked into the lounge room to no Kay. He immediately went to the hangar and noticed a ship missing. Of course. But he couldn't blame him.

He stood. "You were a jerk, but you do have a point." He turned to the Black Lion. "We need to talk."


	31. Chapter 31 - Beyond the Tear

Chapter 31 – Beyond the Tear

Will took down sentries with his axe, while Ari shot down drones behind him. She had his back, and he had hers. He took down most of the sentries in his area, then threw his axe to help her out. She shouted thanks and went back to shooting.

"No problem!" He shouted back. Suddenly, a heavy duty sentry tackled him. He grabbed his bayard and hacked, but he couldn't reach a weak spot. It didn't do anything. "Ari! Little help!"

"I'm cornered!"

He gritted his teeth and focused on the make-believe sword that would soon skewer him and end the simulation. He closed his eyes shut. Lance could change weapons. Why couldn't he?

In a split second, Will's bayard changed from his axe to some kind of sword, easily cutting through the sentry. He quickly changed it back into an axe and threw it to help Ari out. One of the drones shot her, and the simulation, because she couldn't stop staring at him. He blushed. "What?"

"How did you do that?"

"What?"

"Your bayard changed into some kind of sword."

"Oh." He blushed and changed it back, and she examined it with wide eyes. "I just—kinda thought about it, and it happened. It was actually easier then I thought it'd be."

"It's a backsword," she said in wonder. "They were pretty common on Earth for foot soldiers in this place called Ee-yoo-erupt."

"…Europe?"

"I guess." She gave him a look. "Like you'd heard of it. It's not like I had someone reading the books to me."

"So…I have a sword now! Like Lance."

"He's gonna be pretty proud of you." She paused, blushing. "Like me."

Gingerly, she kissed his cheek and quickly sped away to shoot.

He tilted his head, a stupid grin on his face. "You're being romantic now? Not that I don't like that, it's nice, a good look for you, but where did you learn that?"

"Caden and Jesse showed me a couple movies." She tilted her head. "Though they did shut it off pretty quick at one point."

Will gulped. "Probably a good idea."

"Try it again?"

"Yeah. You gonna try to make a new weapon."

She looked at it. "I don't need it right now. Maybe that's how it works."

"Well, I'm not a science-y person. Leave that to Caden." He snickered, and she smiled fondly at him behind his back.

"Level fourteen, commencing."

n

Lance sat in the cockpit, closing his eyes. He tried to clear his mind, think of nothing. Of course, when he tried to think of nothing, he naturally thought of everything. _Thanks, Obama_ , he thought.

"Listen. I know that I'm not that great of a Black Paladin. I haven't really been the best leader, and people have gotten hurt because of it. I—I need to have my head on straight. Please. I—I need to know why you sent them there." He leaned forward, straining his muscles. "Show me what I'm not seeing."

He opened his eyes, on a Galra warship, the Black Lion nowhere to be seen.

"Wait—what?"

He heard footsteps and backed behind a column. After the soldiers went by, he tried to relax. "It's fine. We're friends with the Galra now. I'll just—let Lotor know what happened, and—"

"Did you contact them?"

Lance gasped. "Lotor."

The female Galra beside him shook her head. "As far as we know, they're still stagnant. Any ideas as to why?"

He chuckled. "They are foolish enough to believe the original paladins are still alive."

"Shouldn't we be worried about that?"

"No, no, Kaia. Every minute they run in circles looking for dead men is another minute they do not discover our true plans." Lance's eyes widened, and Lotor clasped his hands behind his back. "How does the rift come along?"

"It's—slow, but steady. It should be large enough to travel through within the week. The two more ships you asked for have been created out of the comet, but we're still working on harvesting enough quintessence to go through."

"Have you located the planets?"

"Mm hmm." She tapped on her screen, showing him. "Just yesterday, our spies located a dying ice planet a couple quadrants away. It died, and they extracted the quintessence."

"How much more do you require?"

"I don't _know_ , but I'm thinking about ten more planets' worth. We have eight on our scopes that are already dying—and most are uninhabited—but we'll need to find two more."

"Do your research. We don't want Voltron to think we're destroying planets, now do we?"

"I could find two off the radar," she suggested.

"Excellent. Do what you need to. Once the ships are ready, I shall fly through the rift."

He started to walk away, but she caught his arm. "Are you insane? I don't even know how much quintessence the portal will burn. If it goes even a fraction faster then what I think, nobody's going to make it out of there alive. And even if you do follow all the protocols set in place, you still don't know what you're going to find in there!"

"I appreciate your concern, b—"

"Wouldn't it be just as effective to send in a sentry?" She looked him deep in the eye. "We can't afford any losses, especially not you."

"Kaia." He held her hands, returning her look. "I see what you mean. But this is more than a strategical move. It is an unspeakable scientific discovery. It is an adventure ready to explode, and I want to be a part of it, so much more than I could be on this side of the rift. Please." He squeezed her hand. "I won't wait for your permission. But I do ask you to find your peace about my decision. I don't want you to be in distress during the most fantastic moment in history."

She nodded, swallowing and looking down. "Just come back to me."

"Always." He straightened. "Have your scientists discovered anything inside the rift?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. It's tricky to get a good visual in there. All the quintessence messes with our lenses. Besides the obvious creatures and masses of quintessence, we have seen shadows of creatures moving around. We know there's _something_ in there, and we know it's big, but we can't figure out if it's hostile, or what."

He nodded. "Keep looking inside the portal. See if you can discover more traits. The more we know, the more ready we'll be."

"What if it's hostile? Will you—not go in?"

"Oh, the opposite." He laughed. "Something that gigantic might have a chance to finally defeat Voltron." Lance's breath caught in his throat. "The old paladins were easily taken down by Ranveia alone. It was a simple matter to send them in unprepared and naive, but these new paladins are too powerful."

"Oh, yes. V3. That's what they're calling themselves now, you know." She scowled. "The Black Paladin has a close connection with all of them. He—he almost holds it all together. And the lions, too."

"Yes, Lance has been an especial challenge," he said through gritted teeth. "He's nearly Versatile." Chills crept on Lance's back, and he felt especially dirty. Was this how Matt felt, being a spy all the time? He kindave like it. "However, whatever powerful creature lurks behind the rift will be capable of destroying Voltron once and for all."

"Just—when it tears apart the lions, could you make sure one gets out? The lions interact in such a unique way with quintessence, and the rift. It might give insight for how to get our ships through the rift more effectively."

"Yes. I will inform my generals to leave the Black and Blue lions untouched."

She tilted her head. "You're going to leave Lance alive?"

"No, no. I'll surely kill him, when the time is right. I can't afford to have him alive. The other paladins, if the Black Lion had saved them, would have crumbled under the pressure, or gotten themselves killed in a suicide mission. Lance, however, persists. How the lions have a will to live."

"And the Blue Lion?"

Lotor shifted his footing. "The Blue Paladin saved my life. I have a duty to repay him. And his lion will be useful, should he be wise enough to give it up."

"From what I've seen, he's not really the wise kind of guy."

"He'll see sense."

"Very well." She looked in his direction, squinting. "What's that?"

"Hmm?" Lotor turned.

"I thought I saw a shadow."

"Quiznack," Lance whispered to himself. The two moved closer and closer. He gripped the bayard at his belt, eyes squeezed closed. This was it. _One…two…three_! He formed his sword and sliced.

He was back in the Black Lion.

He held his position for a couple seconds, just to be safe. Slowly, he lowered his bayard and glared at the console. "Don't do that. Don't—don't do the teleporting thing without telling me. That's freaky, man." The Black Lion purred. "You got a point." He felt a fire burning in his stomach. Of course Lotor had arranged all this, but he smiled, thinking that he annoyed the great Emperor Lotor. "We've been playing on the defense, and I'm tired of it. Let's make our move."

n

Will bounced around the bridge when he heard the news.

"LOTOR'S EVIL HECK _YES_ I _KNEW_ IT THANK GOODNESS BECAUSE NOW I HAVE A _VALID REASON_ TO _PUNCH_ THAT SNAKE IN THE FACE _YAHHSHSSS_!"

"What an idiot," Ari mumbled.

"Yeah, but he's your idiot now," Jesse reminded her.

Caden smirked nonstop, but looked to Lance for answers. "So now that we know Lotor is an undeniable murderer and stuff, what's the next step?"

"Well, we're fighting the Galra again. People need to know. We'll tell Kroila, and she can tell the rebels. We'll let the Coalition members know once it's confirmed."

"Um, you had a space vision in the Black Lion. I think that qualifies as evidence."

"Not to the universe," Caden pointed out.

"So we confront him?" Ari asked.

"That's the plan. We'll be five against five million. It'll be the biggest fight of our lives." He stood taller. "This is it. This is what we've been building up to all along."

"V3 FOR LIFE!" Will shouted, and pulled everyone in a group hug. "Just in case we all die in there or something, y'all are awesome and I love you so much." He messed with Ari's hair. "Especially you."

Lance squeezed them all from the outside. "I'm so proud of all of you."


	32. Chapter 32 - Sacrifice

Chapter 32 – Sacrifice

Lance slicked his hair down with the blue hair gel, knowing looking good was a big part of winning battles. He stared at himself in the mirror for a moment. "You got this. Just—just don't leave anyone behind. Even yourself. They'd want you to live on." Even though he knew it wasn't his fault for what had happened on Kay's planet, he couldn't help but make up conspiracy theories for what he could've done differently. He was the Black Paladin, after all. He was supposed to be unstoppable.

He met his paladins on the bridge. Ari's hair was plaited in perfect curls, and she wore a knowing smirk. Caden and Jesse held their heads high, wearing matching necklaces, only visible on the back of their necks. Will had seemingly just ruffled his hair a couple times, content to look like a hot mess. He'd tried, and no one was going to take that away from him.

Kroila appeared on the screen. Will whispered something to Ari, who just shook her head. "Lance. Paladins of Voltron. I received your transmission earlier today. This is a…shocking development."

"Are you with us?"

She looked him right in the eye. "Now, what kind of question is that? You know I would follow you to the ends of the universe." He smiled, seeing the other blades behind her nod in solid unison. "What is the plan?"

"Lotor doesn't know we're onto him. We'll play it cool. Take the blades and go to the ruins of Daibazaal—" He said the word slowly "—the Galra home planet."

"Hold up. I thought there were only ruins there? Like, isn't the planet gone?" Will asked, raising his hand while talking.

"The Galra thought it was gone, destroyed to prevent the rift from opening more than it already had. However, it never closed. It's still there. Lotor has likely located it and started running experiments on it." He paused. "This is just an intel mission. Don't engage. We can't afford anyone getting caught."

"We'll be invisible," she promised, and switched off the call.

Lance turned to his paladins. "We're going to pay Lotor a visit. If he wants to take the Black Lion, he'll be able to."

"Um, what are we going to do to stop him?"

"We're bonded with our lions, something nobody fully understands. If we end up in deep water, call out to your lion, and it'll come to you."

"Or it'll teleport you to some death planet halfway across the universe," Ari mumbled. Lance told himself to ignore her. She seemed as annoyed as Will that she couldn't retire.

"Alright. Let's head out. If it comes down to it, I'll take on Lotor. Don't do anywhere alone. Keep your helmets on." He paused. "Anything else I'm forgetting?"

"I don't think so," Caden affirmed.

"I can!" Will wrapped everyone in a hug around Lance. "We love you, Space Dad!"

"I am—not a space dad!" Lance sputtered, but the hug felt really nice. "I'm more like a cool space older brother."

"Maybe in the original Voltron. But in V3, you're definitely the dad friend."

"Jesse if you're not going to help me out, don't do anything at all."

"Alright d—"

Caden jumped back excitedly. "Man, I can't wait to beat up Galra butt!"

"We're not going in hostile," Lance reminded him. "We're only gonna engage if Lotor engages first."

"Ugh." Ari crossed her arms. "I hate playing defense."

"It'll be okay." He rubbed her hand between his. "We can stay together!"

"Good point. Twins, you two get to Central command if you can. Get intel on a drive or something, so we can have something, if they're really against us. Ari and Will, play good cop, bad cop with some of the upper level commanders. See if you can figure out what the vibe inside is." He paused. "You do know what that is, right?"

"I'll explain it," Will said, "so long as I get to be bad cop."

"I'm trying to be nicer, anyway," Ari agreed.

"Alright. Let's all get in the Black Lion."

n

The Galra lines were surprisingly quiet. For some reason, Lance kept expecting them to be expecting him. He had to remind himself that, in this situation, they were spies, and he had to be discreet and calm. They were allowed entrance into Galra Headquarters without question. After making their excuses, Lance waited in the hangar for Lotor, while the twins went off to "connect their intel" and the lovebirds went off to make social calls.

Lotor smiled sweetly—sickly—when he saw Lance. "Your presence is most appreciated. I am so sorry about the confirmed deaths. I hope you are…coping well?"

Lance nodded. "I've been dealing with it for a while now."

"And your next move?"

"We're gearing up to attack Ranveia. He's stationed on an ultramodern desert planet called Penta."

"Excellent. Please, let's go somewhere a bit more…comfortable."

They went to a fancy, cushioned sitting room. Lance took off his helmet.

Lotor poured two tall glasses of bubbling liquid at a bar. "Don't worry, nothing alcoholic. We wouldn't want any more looping." He smiled to himself. "So, do tell. What is your business here?"

Something caught Lance's eye, something he knew not many people would. But, coming from Cuba (and being somewhat of a player), he knew what drugged drinks looked like, and his was bubbling a lot more than Lotor's was. He put it down and leaned forward, trying to look like was interested in what he was saying. "We need your help to take down Ranveia. She's…she's got too big of a fleet for Voltron, and we're experiencing…technical difficulties."

He looked genuinely surprised. "What do you mean by technical difficulties?"

"Oh, I won't say. I don't want to embarrass the twins." The Emperor looked even more confused. "Would you happen to have any blueprints of any kind for Voltron? That might help Caden out."

"Of—course." He went to a box on the wall, his back to Lance. He quickly switched the drinks, as Lotor spoke orders into the box. "Now, where were we?"

"The rogue generals." He sipped his drink without fear. It tasted like orange soda, and he wondered if Lotor lived in this kind of luxury 24/7. Of course he did, he was royalty. Lotor took a sip of his, too, and immediately gagged, falling on the floor, clutching his throat. "Oh, right, and that you're trying to poison me." Lotor seemed to be trying to say something, but couldn't get it out. "I really hope you don't die, because I have a long list of people waiting to punch you in the face."

He finally regained his breath, but his vocal cords sounded badly damaged. "Zella, while deadly to humans, just provides a bit of nasty kick to the Galra."

"So you're not going to die. That's a relief."

"I don't think the rest of the universe would see it that way. You don't have any evidence. The universe is really not going to like the new Black Paladin of Voltron, a child, who has no idea what he's doing, attempting to poison the Emperor of the Galra without any probably cause other than spite."

"The Black Lion showed me what you were planning, Lotor. The rift, the quintessence, all of it." He stood. "And how you orchestrated my friends' deaths."

"Salty?"

"A bit."

"Too bad you won't be able to fulfill it." He put his hand out, and the match paused. "You forget. You are in the middle of Galra power. I will easily wipe you and your pathetic paladins of life, and claim the lions."

Lance fastened his helmet on his head. "Guys? Remember what I said about waiting until we had probably cause?" They responded. "Well, we have probably cause, so screw it." They were pleased with that solution. He took his bayard and formed his sword.

Lotor stood. "You are a fool to think you can best me in combat. I've been training for centuries."

"And I've been training for three months on coffee. So if you wanna back out—"

"Silence. Make. Your. Move." Lance held his sword up defensively, and Lotor smirked. "Very well."

n

Caden stood on the Galra sentry on the floor to reach the controls. "Okay, so it looks like there's a virus I can put in the system that shuts everything off. It'll work, but not for the ships that aren't connected."

"What ships aren't connected?" Jesse held his spear at the door.

"Just Lotor's main ship. And a couple other fighters, but I'm not concerned about those. We can take those out."

"So, theoretically, we can take out this whole station?"

He tapped a couple more times, and the whole station went dark, save for a couple purple cracks in the floor. "All done. That's just the backup power, so people can see. They could reroute it to make one jump, but then they'd be sitting ducks, and we could take them out no problem, so if they're smart, they'll just sit here."

"I dunno, man. Most Galra I've seen aren't really that smart."

"Hey!"

"I'm not saying your girlfriend. I'm saying, like, Lotor and stuff."

"You've had a poor sampling then," a voice from the shadows hissed, and a net shot out from the same direction. Caden quickly cut it with his stars, but the mysterious Galra locked them in central command before they were free.

Caden threw his bayard on the floor. "We're trapped!"

"Not yet. Didn't you say they could reroute the power?" He nodded. "Let's do that and get out of here."

"What about Will and Ari? They said they were going to meet us here."

"They're on their own."

"Lance said not to split up—"

"We don't have a choice, Caden! We're sitting ducks here."

Caden nodded, though he didn't quite feel like nodding. Something felt off. "Okay."

n

Ari and Will waited by the hangar door, bayards ready. Ari kept her eyes peeled for any intruders, ready to kill at a moment's notice. Will waited for his friends. Suddenly, they heard a noise to the left, and Ari moved forward. "Ari?"

She motioned. "C'mon."

"But—Lance said to stay together, if things went bad. We need to meet up with Caden and Jesse." She scowled, and he sighed. "Okay."

They moved stealthily, avoiding a squad of sentries hustling down the hall. Ari watched as two buff guards escorted a lady Galra onto a ship. Ari crouched behind the wall. "We can't let them get away."

"Shouldn't we wait for backup?" But Ari was already moving, and he sighed. She was going to get them killed.

Ari pounced on one of the guards, who easily threw her across the room. Will slid under and helped her out, engaging the other one. It wasn't too difficult to dodge the guard's sword, but he knew if he was caught, he'd be a goner. Every other second, he'd glance behind him to make sure Ari was okay. She was fine. _Focus on this_ , he told himself. _She'll be fine_.

She cried out in pain, and he could see blood under her armor. "Ari!" Thinking very hard in a split second, he threw his axe at the guard, and it went down. His opponent smacked him across the room, right at the feet of the Galra lady. She looked very surprised to see him. "Hey there," he said, then jumped back up. The Galra guard had stepped on the ship, waving his sword impressively. Will held up his fists. "Make your move."

The Galra lady stabbed him in the back.

"Salma! The door!" She shouted, pulling out her knife. Will fell on the floor, gasping for air.

"The paladin!" He said.

"A trophy for the Emperor," she said with a smirk.

Will watched carefully as Ari finished off her guard and rushed to the door, pounding frantically on the glass. He couldn't hear what she said, just that she screamed in terror. He smiled and clearly mouthed "I love you," as the ship detached and sped off into space.

n

Lance didn't get tired from the fight, but it was lasting a lot longer then he thought it would. He could tell Lotor was tired of it, too, but neither of them could get the upper hand. Huh. The training had paid off. The low lighting made fighting difficult for him, and he didn't know if Lotor had night vision or anything. He'd have to ask Kroila about that.

They'd moved from the drawing room to the hangar. They fought next to a dock for a huge ship, which was essentially a platform with a drop into space. He looked Lotor in the eye, then at the ground. "This better work," he whispered to himself. "While this has been fun, I would much rather jump into the deep chasm of space then continue this interaction with you," he said to Lotor, and promptly jumping into the chasm. Just as he reached the line where gravity stopped and space began, the Black Lion flew across. He dropped into its belly.

He stayed on the floor for a couple seconds, getting his breath. "So, autopilot much?" Slowly (the Black Lion was awful at piloting itself), he made his way to the cockpit. On the edge, he spotted the bright colors of his paladins and made his way over. They jumped into the lion.

He glanced back at the huge Galra base, completely shut down. Quickly making a wormhole, he sped back to Daria.

n

His paladins were in the hangar when he stepped out of the Black Lion. His smile slowly faded, and he spun around. "Where's Will?"

Ari hugged her legs to her chest, face buried in her knees. Her shoulders shivered with a sob, and Jesse rubbed her back, fear stricken on his face. Caden crossed his arms over his chest, look sullen and angry. "Deep space, probably."

"What happened?"

"Ari lost him."

"Caden," Jesse said, touching his leg.

"Well, do you have a better explanation?" He yelled.

"What happened?" Lance asked again.

Ari raised her head, and he could see her face was soaked with tears, her face splotchy red. "We were fighting two guards, and—he got thrown into the ship, and I—they flew away."

"Only you didn't need to be fighting those guards, did you?" Caden accused.

"No, we didn't, which is why Will isn't here, now would you just shut up?"

"We had one job! Stay together, and you couldn't even do that."

Ari jumped to her feet, looking like she wanted to make a good comeback, but so empty inside. "I'm gonna go train. Because I apparently need it."

She stalked off.

Lance could feel his skin cold.

"It's not her fault, Caden," Jesse said, trying to calm his brother down. "Nothing went according to plan."

"But it shouldn't've—" He didn't finish. Instead, he started walking to the door, mumbling "I'm going to work with my lion." He slammed the door behind him.

Jesse looked up at Lance. "What…now?"

Lance knew his voice was going to sound weak, hoarse, and low, but he spoke anyway. "Is he dead?"

"I—I don't know. Ari just said she saw him captured." He took a sharp breath. "You don't think they'd keep him alive, do you?"

"We have to assume they will. We need to find the ship he was on and track it down."

"I'll work on it." Jesse's voice was also failing, and he sounded weak. Lance held out his arms, and Jesse stepped into a much needed hug that went on for a couple minutes. "Thanks," the boy mumbled, muffled. "I needed that."

"We're gonna find him."

"But what if we don't?"

"Then we just have to move on. That's the thing about Voltron, it's bigger then one person."

Jesse nodded. "Okay." He headed to his lion's hangar.

Lance took a deep breath and decided to go to the bridge. But before he started the lonely walk, he looked up at the Black Lion. "Haven't we lost enough?"


	33. Chapter 33 - Back to Life

Chapter 33 – Back To Life

Team Shiro wasted their time in the waiting room. Pidge attempted to connect to the hospital's security feed, but it was blocked by an extensive algorithm she supposed would take about two vargas to crack. Keith quietly and slowly played the Knife Game when he thought Shiro had fallen asleep. Hunk watched Pidge crack the code and pointed out whenever he thought she'd missed something, usually resulting in grumbling and changing the code. Matt sat cross legged next to Shiro, paging through a fashion magazine. Allura kept making excuses to go outside, needing to use the bathroom, fresh air, an interesting species just outside, always returning with red eyes.

Four vargas and twenty naps later, a noodle-like doctor in a white outfit walked through the door, his hands clasped behind his back. They all stood, holding their breath. But the doctor was smiling. "Your red-haired friend will be fine. The surgery went well, and he is recovering quickly."

They all sighed collectively. Shiro shook the doctor's hand. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. It's obvious that you all care for him very deeply, and it was an honor to be able to help."

"How much do we owe you?" Allura asked.

"The facilities on Penta are free to any who wish to utilize them. It is our gift to the galaxy. He bowed his head respectfully and began to take his leave. "I shall return shortly so you may see him."

They sat back down, some laughing the nerves away, some with head in hands. Shiro remained standing, moving to where he could see everyone. "You all did good out there. It's been a tough couple of months, but we're out of it now."

"So we can go look for Lance?" Keith looked like he was about to jump high in the atmosphere and fly to get Lance himself.

"We're gonna find Lance, but we've got to work smart, not hard. Looking for him on foot wasn't working."

"The lions," Pidge contributed.

Matt sat up. "We can use their scanners to find Lance. I can start working on a code that'll work through the torrential downpour on the other "

"We'll leave as soon as Coran's good to travel."

"Hi, question, sorry—" Hunk raised his hand like a good and polite schoolboy "—but do we have any idea where the lions are?"

"According to where we were last, they should be in the Amarian Sector. We should be able to fly around there and find them pretty easily. I mean, they're giant lions floating in space, what could go wrong?"

"Yeah, that sounds reasonable and stuff, but Pidge, what if someone took them? They're pretty valuable. Or—or, even better—what if they found new paladins? Like, what if there's an entirely new team Voltron?"

"That's impossible," Allura said, standing. "It took ten thousand years for the lions to discover five matching paladins and have them all in the same area to fly together. The odds of locating five individuals with those personality types would be astronomical. It would take another ten thousand years."

"That's one thing we don't have to worry about." Shiro crossed his arms, smiling. "Once Coran's better, we'll secure a ship and head out. How long to get there?"

"Maybe ten vargas? It's a pretty decent road trip." Pidge pushed up her glasses, typing quickly. "We can get a cheap but decent model to take us around here."

Shiro nodded at Keith. "And once we have the lions, we're coming right back to find Lance. We'll check on the rest of the universe from there."

n

"I can't thank you all enough for, well, saving my life." Coran's moustache looked a little more down that usual, but other than that, he looked quite well.

Allura touched his arm. "You saved my life from that creature on Sempsa. Thank you."

"Anything for you, princess."

"We've got a ship to take us to the Amarian sector." Matt had his hands on his hips for some reason, but everyone silently agreed it made him ten times cuter. "It's ready to go whenever we are."

Pidge titled her head. "Wait—how did you buy an entire ship?"

"I'd like to say I flirted my way into it, but unfortunately, no. Keith negotiated the price down really low. He's good at that kind of thing."

"Define good."

Matt looked over at the emo. "Cutthroat good."

"Are you feeling up to it, Coran?"

"Up to it? I'm on top of the world!" He jumped up and promptly fell into Keith. "It's a touch and go."

"Let's head out then." They started filing to the exit, each shaking hands with the doctor as they went.

Pidge bounced her backpack against her back. "Man, Lance is gonna be so mad he missed out on all this! He'll go crazy."

"Eh, I think he's gonna be more happy that we're all together again." Hunk shrugged. "But he's pretty unpredictable."

Keith walked next to Shiro. "Have you had any luck connecting with the Black Lion?"

He shook his head, frosted tips, falling in front of his right eye. They all looked in need of a haircut. "It's strange. It's like when Zarkon was still alive, there was…something keeping me from connecting. Another person. But that was happening before we ended up halfway across the universe."

"It's not the first time that's happened," Keith said, and Shiro laughed. They stepped outside and crossed to where ships parked in large lots. Shiro suddenly stopped walking. "What?"

"Is that our ship?"

"Yeah. It's nice."

He pointed to a figure standing in front, with four others surrounding her. "Is that—"

"That doesn't make sense. How did she know we were here?"

Matt stopped behind them. "…No…"

The figure moved forward, her henchmen stepping in a pentagon formation around the group. Coran threatened them with karate chops in the air, while Pidge jumped on Hunk's back. Shiro kept his eyes focused on the intruder, teeth clenched.

"Paladins of Voltron," Haggar growled, "welcome, to your end."


	34. Chapter 34 - Coping Mechanisms

Chapter 34 – Coping Mechanisms

For a couple vargas, Lance stayed in the solitary bridge, scanning the universe for any signs of the comet's material, but all it picked up so far were only detecting the lions in the castle. Caden and Jesse had reported that no other ships had left the station, just Lotor's, and Will had been on it.

Combined, Ari and Will had taken down quite a few prominent officers that wouldn't be continuing in the fight any longer. Caden and Jesse had destroyed their defenses and weapons all by taking out their energy source for good. It would take weeks to repair. Meanwhile, the Coalition and the blades could make swift strikes to take out Lotor and his remaining forces, which weren't many. It should've been a time for celebrating. Instead, he kept his eyes focused on the screen.

"I should've been there, I should've been there," he consistently whispered to himself. "What kind of Black Paladin am I?"

He had known Shiro and Keith were better, that he was doing something wrong, and it would only be a matter of time before everyone realized he had no idea what he was doing. Maybe Ari could lead, or even Kroila. But he just wanted to go home.

Suddenly, the scanner dinged, and a small surge of the comet's energy showed up in the universe. Looking closely, he knew it was Lotor's ship. "Where are you?"

After reading up for a couple more minutes, he grabbed his helmet and hurried out of the bridge. It was time.

n

Jesse sat in his lion, eyes closed. "Hey, man. Dude, I have no idea how to help any of these guys. Ari's off training her butt off, Caden's going crazy trying to bond with Green, and Lance probably won't sleep for a couple days." He sat back, feeling his lion growing warmer and warmer. It was comforting and felt like a hug. "Yeah, I'm up. Gotta save the will to live while it's still there. Ha, the _will_. The…yeah. Alright."

"Caden? Jesse?" He leaned forward to see Lance standing below, looking around. "Where are you guys?"

He slipped out of his lion, wrapping Lance in a hug. "We're gonna be o-kay!"

"Yeah we are!"

"Did you find anything?"

As soon as Caden walked over, Lance pulled up some figures on a screen. "I traced the material from the comet the lions were made of, which is coincidentally the same stuff Lotor's ship is made of. It's going down to a planet over…here."

"Neat-o."

Caden leaned in. "Penta. That's…that's where Ranveig is, the last rogue general?" He looked at the map, eyes wide. "Uma could be down there."

"So we can't go in guns blaring," Lance decided quickly. "Caden, the Green Lion has a cloaking device the last paladin put on there. We'll all go down in that. The last thing we want to do is alert them of our presence."

"Won't Lotor be doing that?"

"I—I don't know what he's going to do, to be honest. We're gonna roll with it when we get down there."

Jesse squinted. "So the plan is to wing it?"

"The plan is to do whatever we have to do to get the mission done. But we can't have all four of us trekking around together. That'll be really suspicious." He paused. "Can you guys find Uma and get her out of there?"

Caden's eyes grew wide, and he looked like he was going to cry. "You mean that?"

"Yeah."

The green paladin wrapped his skinny arms around Lance, squeezing him tight. "Thank you." Jesse joined the hug, and they all stayed there for a while. Caden eventually let go, speeding over to Jesse's console. "I can pinpoint her location by hacking into the drones on site and using a facial recognition software!" He smiled knowingly to himself. "I have a couple pictures of us together."

"Hey! Do your nerdy stuff on your own console." Jesse rushed to fight for his stuff. "So who's gonna go find Will?"

Lance turned back to the hallway. "That's step two."

n

"Level fifty-one, commencing."

Ari growled as she engaged the ten special ops soldiers doing all kinds of crazy flips around her. She attempted to shoot as many of them down before they engaged, but they were too fast. She could only take two of them. The remaining eight charged in in an octagon formation. With a quick dive, she got out of the rush and shot them like snakes in a barrel. Five to go.

One engaged her hand on, and she politely removed its head by twisting it with her bow. She stabbed another with an arrow by hand, and then—

"Simulation failed." Ari groaned and looked back to see a holographic sword through her side. "Take a break."

"What?" She whipped around, sure she had put it on continuous practice. Lance stood at the door, and she brushed past him to reset the system. "What do you want?"

"Talk to me."

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not much of a talking person," she snapped.

"I know you miss Will, but you can't isolate yourself because of it."

"Will is the only person I enjoy hanging out with. What's the point?"

"The point is that you have a family who wants to help you. Ari." He put his hand on hers, and she paused. "This isn't the way we cope. When I found out the paladins were gone, I had to be alone, yes, but you also have to be around people, or you forget to live."

She looked down. "I don't think I want to be a paladin if Will's not here."

"I know. Trust me, I know." They sat on the floor, sipping juice boxes. "I know where you are right now, but there isn't any time to rest. We've just got to keep going."

Ari looked at him incredulously. "Is this gonna be the rest of my life? Just saving the universe without any rest?"

"It'll get better, but not if we stop fighting."

She took a deep breath. "I don't think I'm ever going to love again."

"It'll be okay."

After a couple moments, she stood. "Okay. So what's our next step?"

"We tracked Lotor's ship to Penta. We're gonna go find Will."

" _WHAT_?" She gaped at him. "Why didn't you tell me that first?"

"Because if you only came back because of Will, you'd leave whenever he does. We can't afford that."

She looked at the floor, and he knew she was going to grumble. But when she spoke, it was clear and even. "I know we probably don't say this enough, but you're an awesome leader."

He nodded. "Thank you."

"We're gonna get him back, then?"

"I hope so." He tapped the coms on the wall. "Alright, guys. Suit up and meet me on the bridge." He looked in the eye, nodding. "We've got work to do."

n

"Where _is_ she?" Caden whined, tapping his foot. "It's never taken her this long to get ready."

"I know Will always said that human women take a lot of time to get ready, but this is just ridiculous."

"Patience, guys," he begged subtly.

The elevator doors opened, and Ari stepped through, quite different. The boys stared at her. Jesse thought she looked quite nice and finger gunned to let her know. Caden smiled and nodded, thinking it was an opportune change. Lance felt his chest go tight and took a deep breath.

She ruffled her short hair and smirked. "I read somewhere that a woman who cuts her hair is about to change the world."

"It suits you," Caden nodded. "But in battle, it's really not that great, I mean, strategically—"

Jesse elbowed his brother. "You look great."

"Thanks."

Lance smiled, but smirked on the inside. "Alright, mullet. Get up here."

And as the four of them stood on the bridge, each with variations of worry and anticipation, they all sensed that healing had begun.


	35. Chapter 35 - Mother Against Son

Chapter 35 – Mother Against Son

Shiro found his arm deflected Haggar's magic, so he took her on. Meanwhile, the others rushed into the hospital to find some weapons. Keith back against Shiro. "Do we have a plan?"

"Don't die."

"That's a great plan. I'm happy to be a part of it."

Shiro smiled focused back on Haggar, who wore a sick smile. "You have no idea what kind of power you are dealing with, Champion."

"How did you know we were here?"

She smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Witch!" They all turned in unison after hearing that familiar voice to see Lotor, king of beauty and all things aesthetic, standing some feet away. The wind blew through his hair majestically, and all in the area had to admit he was killing it in more ways than one. "Prepare to meet your doom."

"I will take care of you after I take care of them."

Lotor looked over, and raised a single eyebrow perfectly when he saw Shiro and Keith. "So you are alive. How unfortunate."

"What?"

"And you don't know anything. Pathetic." He turned back to his men, about ten trained soldiers, who crowded behind him. "Kill them."

"Lotor! We're allies!" Shiro reminded him.

"And if the Black Lion hadn't taken you out of my grasp that fateful day, I would've killed you then. No _matter_ , if you understand. No one…will know." He chuckled to himself, as if sharing some private joke with himself. "Goodbye."

Between the witch's henchmen and Lotor's soldiers, they had plenty to worry about, bolting out of sight around the hospital. The killers followed.

A female Galra popped her head out of the hatch. "Uh…what 'bout me?"

"See what he knows."

"I've already tried everything. Sorry, but I think I accidentally kidnapped the idiot." She looked back into the ship, scowling. "He's no use to us anymore."

Lotor hesitated. "Patch him up and put him back on board."

Haggar and Lotor circled on another, each sizing them up. "You have come a long way to die," Lotor remarked.

"I thought you'd find me sooner."

"I've been occupied."

"By a child."

"The Black Paladin is stronger than any before him, my father included. I'm sure you would've had your fair share of fighting with Lance, if this was not your end."

"Foolish boy! You know nothing of the art of alchemy. You pretend that words can make you strong, while wasting away."

"Shall we see?" He readied his sword, cracking his knuckles simply because he liked the sound.. "I've been waiting a long time for this moment."

n

Shiro and Keith kept running through the airstrip, keeping a good distance between them and their attackers. It was a hot pursuit.

"What's the plan?" Keith said between breaths. "The others will be walking right into a firefight."

"We need to take these guys out."

"Wish Lance were here," Keith mumbled. He could've taken them out one by one, until they could take hand to hand combat.

Shiro glanced back. "Go right." He nodded, and they crossed, skidding to a stop and bolting at their attackers. The druids shot purple lightning, but their weapons were immune. Shiro easily took out two of Lotor's soldiers, but one of the druids shot him. With a quick nod, the three remaining soldiers and one druid nodded at each other, each circling around Shiro.

Keith took the soldiers one by one, dodging the ones he wasn't directly attacking. It worked pretty well, slow as it was. He guessed, at the rate he was going, that he could finish them off in about five minutes. But when he looked over, Shiro was surrounded. Growling, he ducked under the one he fought and sliced behind him, killing two. It was clever, yet sapped him of energy.

Shiro ducked the druid's magic, using his hand to stop his roll. He punched the druid normally, then came around with his arm to take him down. One of Lotor's soldiers sliced through his leg from behind. He bit his lip to keep from screaming. Keith had his own problems. Instead, he elbowed the soldier in the gut, stealing his sword. He drew it out, slicing two more across the chest, looking quite awesome while he did so. Two more advanced, and while he wasn't an expert with a sword, he'd watched enough anime to know how to use one. They went down in no time. He stood in front of the soldier he'd elbowed in the gut, who promptly turned and ran the other direction.

Keith was nearly done and clearly had the upper hand, so he touched his leg gingerly. It was bleeding pretty bad, and he cringed at the sight of it. Luckily, he looked up and saw a hospital. "Best place to get stabbed," he said to himself, smiling, and started limping towards it.

Keith ran up behind him. "You're getting rusty," he said, holding up his injured side.

"Say that when you're slapping your enemies to death."

"That's fair." He looked up, the hospital quite close. "They should be able to fix you up pretty quick, considering it only took a day for Coran to recover from near-death injuries."

"Even better."

n

As Caden and Jesse bolted into the Galra facility, Lance and Ari snuck around the desert hill, wearing their casual clothes. His watch dinged with a message, and he frowned. "Kroila said she'll be here as soon as she can."

"Great," Ari mumbled, not about to argue.

Lance pointed ove the hill. "There. That's Lotor's ship. Will should be on it."

"So what next?"

"We're gonna—" He stopped suddenly, eyes focusing on a dusty battle on the upside of the hill. "Oh, no."

"What?" He pointed, and her eyes followed his finger to Lotor and Haggar making quite the mess on the field. "They're gonna sound the alarm any minute."

"I wonder how they haven't already."

"We're gonna be ambushed! Why is she even here?" Ari squinted. "Also, WHO is she?"

They locked eyes. "Go get Will." She nodded and, without hesitation, slid down the hill to the ship, bangs flicking in her eyes.

Lance ran towards the battle, bayard drawn.

n

Caden and Jesse hurried through the facility, too serious to think. Jesse worried for his own sanity as they willingly walked into what looked like a prison. He held his spear out, ready to throw at a moment's notice, as Caden frantically typed on a computer. "Found it!"

"Where is she?"

"Her family's south of here. Just another block down. Room 43217."

"Let's go."

Suddenly, red lights flashed and a siren sounded. They ducked in an empty broom closet as hundreds of sentries ran for the exit. When they went, Jesse leaned in. "We didn't sound that."

"We've got to get out of here."

n

The doctor massaged ointment on Shiro's wound. "This is top of the line treatment which will heal the injury completely in under two dobashes." Shiro couldn't help but sigh in relief as the searing pain disappeared completely. "It's helpful on the battlefield. When you are in a safer area, apply the remainder of this gradually over a two week period. This will heal it completely."

"Thank you." Allura shook the doctor's hand, as Keith was sweating like crazy and frankly, didn't want to talk to anyone. "You have been a life saver, quite literally."

"It's my pleasure." He smiled and gave a little bow, taking his leave.

"The alarm sounded," Keith explained. "There'll be hundreds of sentries in this area in minutes."

"We can't fight them off," Allura stated the obvious.

"Maybe…we don't fight them?" Hunk suggested.

"What other choice do we have?" Matt asked.

"Well, we could clear out the hospital and trap them in here. Then just…leave them."

Keith shrugged when Shiro looked over. "It's our best shot."

"Alright, team." He stood, leaning on his good leg. "Let's get to work."

n

For the twelfth time, Lotor knocked Haggar on the ground. He held his sword out with finality. "Stay down, witch! Your time is complete." He heard the alarm sound, and smiled. "No matter. I've completed what I came here to do."

"You know—nothing—" She gasped for breath, clearly drained.

"I know enough," he growled, "of you and Emperor Zarkon's reign of terror."

"And you would kill me?"

"I would stake your head in my palace, for all to see."

"You would spare the blue paladin, of whom you owe nothing, yet sever the only connection to your past?"

"I have no connection to you!" Lotor roared.

"I cradled you in my arms! And I cried…as they ripped you away."

She was crying now.

"This was not the life I meant for you…for us."

"What are you talking about?" It dawned on him what she implied. "You are not my mother. My mother was Honerva, the great alchemist—"

"I was Honerva, boy! Raw power is what has turned me into what I am today." She clenched her cloak around her, covering her form.

"No. That's impossible." He held up his sword. "And I shall prove that your words mean nothing."

"I suspected as much," she growled. "Which is why I did not come alone."

Lance nearly had a heart attack as a Galra—one of Lotor's previous generals—jumped out of a bush not far from his own hiding place. She jumped Haggar, weapon drawn. She took a quick breath. "Acxa," he said, breathless.

"Lotor. No hard feelings."

"No need. I have what I came for." Acxa quickly helped Haggar up and onto her previously hidden ship. Lotor watched the ship take off, his hair blowing in the wind. He took a breath. "This is where I take my leave." He turned back to the hospital, where Lance stood. "Of course. I suppose you've come for your friends."

"You're not getting away with Will," he snapped.

Lotor's eyebrows went up for a moment. "Of course," he said slowly, drawing his sword. "I shall take your dead body as well."


	36. Chapter 36 - Surrounded

Chapter 36 – Surrounded

Pidge, Matt, and Hunk ducked behind the Welcome Desk. Hunk looked over the edge, gulping when he saw several sentries already coming through the door. After searching the room, they all filed deeper into the hospital, Pidge picked up her communicator. "Okay. You've got about fifty coming your way."

It sputtered for a moment, and they tensed up. Shiro's voice came through quietly. "We're on our way."

They heard clattering from the back hallway, and more than half of the sentries went to find it. From the other direction, a similar sound was heard, and they disappeared, too. Pidge let out a breath. "Okay. I'm guessing there's about five hundred foot soldiers that'll come out for this, and so long as this algorithm continues to block their servers, they won't know what's going on in here and will just assume they're searching. If we can get more in here, that'd be great."

"Roger that." Looking out the window, they saw Keith wave his hands wildly. He took down a sentry, and about ten followed him. A couple minutes later, he did it again, only twenty followed him.

"Coran and I are bringing about fifty in from the back entrance," Allura reported. "They think we're scientists."

"We have them fooled!" Coran said excitedly. He had a lot of energy, somehow.

"Sounds good." She nodded at Matt and Hunk, who went out the front entrance. "We've got about four hundred in the building now. The rest are spread out. Get out of here and lock all the doors. Everyone check in with me once you're out."

"Roger that." Keith came through. "Side entrances on the west side are locked. I'm out."

"Coran and I have secured the back entrances. We are clear."

"I'm out," Shiro said. "Doors locked.

"Matt and Hunk are already out, so we're good to go. Pidge is out—" She locked the door "—and we're good to go."

"Great work, guys. Let's meet back up at the front entrance."

n

Ari hurried to the ship, her bow drawn. A couple soldiers attacked her, but they weren't ready for a miniature version of a human to shoot them mercilessly. She rushed into the heart of the ship, where a Galra bent over a blond haired boy. "Will!" She shouted, loading her bow and holding it up. "Stand back."

The Galra held a knife over him, inches from his chest. "Don't make a move." She heard voices outside, voices of fighting sentries. "Looks like you're surrounded."

"I'm not leaving without him."

"Then you'll die here."

A sentry grabbed Ari from behind, but it wasn't one of Lotor's. It disarmed her, but she managed to stab it fatally with one of her arrows. She looked up to see the Galra about to drive a knife in Will's heart. "No!" She screamed, reaching for her bow, knowing she would be too late.

A blaster fired, and the Galra fell back. Ari turned to see Kroila standing, gun steaming.

Ari rushed forward to Will, who groaned at her touch. His eyes stayed closed, and Ari looked back at Kroila. "He's lost a lot of blood," she said frantically, "I don't know how much more he can take."

She glanced over him, then turned when blasters echoed outside. "We'll take the ship."

" _What_?"

Kroila quickly sat at the controls, flipping switches. "Similar to other Galra technology. Make sure he doesn't fall off that table."

Ari strapped him in. "What about the others?"

"Ranveig's men weren't accounted for. Everyone's on their own, but they know that." She took off. "We'll head to a blade base and get him patched up, then back to Daria."

"Okay." She held his hand and fluffed his hair. "Just had to make me fall for you, you idiot," she whispered.

Will's eyes fluttered open, just briefly. He struggled to focus. "Ari?"

She kissed him.

His eyes were closed when she let go, and he smiled. "Yup. Ari."

"Just had to go get kidnapped, didn't you?"

"Thought it was part of the plan. I should really start paying attention in debrief instead of breakdancing." He fingered her tips. "You—you changed your hair."

"Real smooth, Will."

"I try," he said breathlessly. He took in a sharp breath as the ship took off the ground. "Wh—what's going on? Are we—"

"We're rescuing you!" Kroila shouted.

"Who's…that?" Will asked, clearly out of it.

"That's Kroila, as in Blade of Marmora."

"Who?"

She leaned to his ear. "Kroila Kogane."

He looked around. "I need to write that down," he whispered breathlessly, looking around for a pen.

"Brace yourselves!" She shouted, and blasted into space.

n

"You have proved to be quite the challenge for me," Lotor announced boldly, his hair flowing in the wind. "But I shall destroy you and your pathetic team, showing the universe who is truly in control!"

"Your empire is gone, Lotor! There's hardly anything left."

"That's what you think!"

"Yes, that's what I think. That's why I said it."

"How much you don't know! I have the power of unlimited quintessence flowing through my veins! I have centuries of training and unspeakable hardships."

"Yeah, well, I have three months of sleepless training and coffee, so really, there's no competition." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the green lion taking to the sky, quickly hid by the cloaking technology. In a couple minutes, they'd make it back to Daria and realize he wasn't with them. he hoped they wouldn't come back.

Lotor squinted. "You truly don't believe I won't kill you today."

"I truly don't care anymore." He held up his sword. "You can take everything from me, but I'll keep fighting. So if you want me to stop being a problem, you know what you gotta do. I just don't think you have it in you."

He sprung forward, swinging his sword high for momentum. "I'll show you what I have in me!"

n

Shiro hugged the wall, then sprinted across the airfield to a solitary tower. He silently motioned for the others, and they hid behind it. Just across was their ship, surrounded by fifty or so soldiers. Pidge snapped. "Man, I thought we had gotten them all."

"Getting them all would be logically im—"

"Shut _up_ , Matt, I _know_ that, I was _hoping otherwise_."

"We need a distraction."

The guards heard them talking and started moving towards them.

Keith crouched in a running position. "I can sprint across and get them to follow me."

"Be careful." The emo took off running, taking at least half with him. He, the princess, and Hunk had legitimate weapons. "Allura, you and Pidge go to the left. Hunk, you and Matt go to the right. I'll go down the middle."

"You'll be in open space if they fire!" Matt announced in a hushed whisper.

"We just need to get past them. We didn't sound the alarm, so they won't be looking for us. Don't engage if you don't have to. Meet at the ship." They all nodded and headed separate directions. Overhead, a ship took off.

n

Keith sprinted around the hospital, about ten or so soldiers in quick pursuit. Every now and then, one would get ahead of the group, and he could slide to a stop, take it out, and sprint again. He circled around the ship and kept going, gaining five more. He counted seven on him.

He came to the end of the strip and dove into a rocky cave. He dove into a crevasse and watched the guards run farther into the cave, guns up. They walked right past him, and he jumped right back out. He could see the rest of the team making their way to the ship, taking out the remaining ten or so guards. He ran towards them drawing his sword.

But something in his peripheral caught his sight.

It was a fight, and a dusty one, spurring up all the dirt in the area. It moved farther down the airstrip to the right. He could see Lotor's fabulous hair flailing around even across the distance, but the other person was lost in the dust. He turned back to the ship.

Shiro had spotted him. "Keith! Help Allura out!" He could see the princess struggling to protect both her and Pidge.

But when he looked back, he saw the second person, and froze in his steps. He'd know that jacket anywhere.

"Lance!" He shouted, and broke out into a sprint.


	37. Chapter 37 - Fight My Battles

Chapter 37 – Fight My Battles

Lance could feel his strength sapped slowly. Even though he'd been training nearly nonstop for three months, he'd also neglected sleeping. He hadn't been in a fight this intense since, well, two days ago. It showed. One stroke was so slow, Lotor grabbed his sword and flung both across the airstrip. He skidded to a stop, but his knee gave out on its own, and he struggled to ready himself for Lotor, who barreled across the field. Keith would've facepalmed many times during this pathetic fight.

He managed to get the upper hand with the next few strokes and pushed him back. Lotor took a couple seconds to breathe. Being emperor all the time, he must not have a ton of time to train. Just centuries stored up. "You can't win. You're physically weak and in no shape to fight."

"Maybe you would be, but I live like this." He gritted his teeth and fought to stand. He readied his sword. "So make your move."

He yelled "nyah!" in an intimidating way and jumped, his sword up. The battle cry almost made him laugh. Lance sliced at his chest just as his sword came down, which apparently was a good move, according to Caden. Physics and whatnot. But he was still losing.

He slammed into Lotor, knocking the purple Legolas off his feet. He stepped back and evaluated his choices. One: stay here, keep fighting, eventually get knocked off his feet, and die. Was there a step two?

 _I don't want to die today,_ he thought to himself. So he closed his eyes.

He murmured under his breath, so Lotor couldn't hear and think he was crazy. "Okay. I know you can hear me this far away. Listen. You need to get over yourself and be upfront with me, because if you keep changing paladins, Voltron's never going to be strong enough to stand up to anything. You didn't bring me this far to die." He breathed heavily, seeing his enemy take to his feet. "I trust you. You _know_ that." He held up his sword, opening his eyes. "So come."

Lotor jumped forward attacking again.

He apparently found it necessary to engage in conversation while he did so. "Do you truly think you will win this war? I've always been one step ahead of you. You have never been anything!"

"Then explain how you're losing in the middle of an airstrip." He could barely understand himself between huffs, but Lotor's eyes turned to slits.

"Your pathetic fighting techniques are nothing in comparison to my power!" He shouted, flinging him across the concrete. Lance couldn't get a footing—his muscles kept giving out—so he rolled on the floor, getting all kinds of scrapes and bruises. No armor to keep him safe now. He grabbed his sword, but Lotor kicked it out of his hand. It turned back into the black bayard ten feet away. Logically, Lance stood and punched Lotor in the face. He fell back a bit, then swung his sword and sliced him across the arm. He cried out in pain and fell back.

So this is it.

"You are nothing! You are a weak paladin and a worse leader. You put children together and call them Voltron! I shall show you what true power looks like." He raised his sword. "Goodbye, Lance."

His sword came down, but another stopped it.

At first, Lance thought it was Kroila coming to his rescue, because the sword was distinctly from the blades. But when he looked up, he saw that familiar mullet, and tears sprung up in his eyes. "Keith?"

"Stay away from Lance!" He shouted, pushing Lotor farther and farther back. Now that he was a swordsman, Lance could admire Keith's planned footwork and decisive swings. He probably would've thought about it for quite a while if he hadn't just realized his best friend was alive.

Keith slammed Lotor back ten feet, then turned back. "Lance!"

"Oh my gosh, Keith!" He squeezed him into a hug, crying like a baby. "You're alive, you're alive."

"Of course I'm alive, you idiot!" He pulled back, wiping away a tear with his finger. "Did—did you think I was dead?"

He nodded emphatically, pulling him back in for a much longer hug. "You're okay, you're okay," he kept repeating to himself. Keith stayed silent, knowing Lance was telling this to himself, and simply ran his fingers through his hair. Suddenly, he pulled back. "Is everyone else okay?"

"Yeah, we're all here. There—" He pointed to Hunk _bolting_ across the strip, quickly followed by Pidge and the rest of the gang. Lance ran to meet Hunk, who had about the same idea about how long hugs should be. Pidge hugged him from the back, and everyone else—besides Keith—piled on, all repeated how happy they were to see him, how glad they were that he was okay, and how stupid of him it was to think they were dead. He didn't have the breath to tell them.

Soon, it dissolved, and they all resorted to clumping in a group. Lance couldn't stop looking at all of them. They were okay, somehow. He didn't know how, and didn't quite care at this point. Will was going to—Will. Where was his team? He broke contact with Hunk to look back towards the hospital where he'd last seen Ari. He needed to find everyone.

"Well isn't this touching," Lotor snarled, standing. "I suppose you have quite a bit to catch up on, don't you? Too bad you won't have the breath." He held his sword out.

Lance rolled his eyes. "You do realize you're one against, like, twelve, right?"

"We really need to work on your math," Pidge said, pushing up her glasses, "but point stands. You're done."

"Am I?" He tilted his head, a sly smile on his lips. He focused on something behind them, and they looked to see plenty of soldiers coming from the opposite direction. Their eyes widened collectively—except Lance, his turned to slits. "I believe they'll be more interested in bringing the former paladins of Voltron before General Ranveig than myself. Enjoy your stay on this dusty planet."

He didn't turn and run. Instead, he raised his sword.

"Shiro do we have a plan?" Hunk asked worriedly. "Because that's WAY too many for us to handle."

"Everyone has a weapon. We've got to try to fight them off." He didn't look too happy with it, but they didn't have a choice. The soldiers engaged.

Lance ran to his bayard, which Lotor kicked out of his reach again. "Seriously? You again?" He dodged his swings, then rolled to grab his bayard. He used the broadsword to knock Lotor off his feet, then used his gun to take out soldiers who got just a little too close to his friends. But there were too many of him, and he ignored his own problems. Right after helping Keith out with four he fought, Lotor sliced his leg from behind.

Naturally, Keith didn't like that and promptly freaked out.

Lance recovered well, and shot Lotor point blank. It didn't do anything except knock him off his feet, but it went well enough to take a couple seconds to look to the sky and shout, "a little help here!" He could see Pidge struggling to use a sword out of the corner of his eye, and he gritted his teeth.

"You are nothing!" Lotor repeated. "I'll kill you today."

"You wish." They fought for a couple more minutes, resulting in Lance on the ground, disarmed. He could see Shiro struggling to keep the team alive, but there were too many. They needed a sharpshooter, but he was a little busy. Lotor held out his sword. "You can only run so far. You're alone, as you always have been. When no one has your back, anyone can easily take you out."

He heard a change in the wind, and smiled. Everyone else was too concentrated on their fighting to hear, but he knew what it meant. It meant they wouldn't die here. "You're forgetting one little detail."

Keith noticed he stood before an unstoppable enemy without a weapon. "Lance!" He screamed, and everyone fought a little harder knowing one of them was about to die.

"And what's that?" Lotor growled, hand twitching.

"I'm a paladin of Voltron. Someone's always got my back."

And with a deafening roar, the Black Lion tore through the clouds. It landed behind Lance, looking quite ready to kill whomever dared to lay a hand on its precious paladin next.

Needless to say, everyone was quite surprised. Lotor turned on his heel and _bolted_ in the opposite direction. Ranveig's soldiers seemed to consider running, but then unanimously decided they'd rather die then go back to their terrifying leader empty handed. Victory or death, he supposed.

The lion opened, and Lance hurried inside, motioning for his friends. "C'mon!" They followed him, despite looking a bit disoriented and out of it. With a look at his screen—something from Kroila and something from Caden—he blasted off into space.

Unfortunately, Ranveig wasn't going to let him get away that easily, and had a fleet to prove it. Lance easily dodged the attacks, but knew he'd have to get into open space before he could make a wormhole. He felt Pidge and Hunk next to him, who simultaneously offered passive aggressive advice on how to fly. "You know, if you're gonna be like that, wait in the back with everyone else!" He, of course, didn't mean that, but knew they wouldn't listen.

"I have several questions," Hunk announced, "but most importantly, you're in the _black lion_?"

"Yeah, what?" Pidge said.

"Yeah, well, I may, or may not, be the black paladin now!" Lance yelled over the loud blasting.

"Use your mouth knife-y thing-y!" Hunk yelled, and they braced as they sliced through the main ship. Lance spotted a spot and flew through it, a hoard of ships chasing after him. "You're the what now?"

Shiro and Keith joined the cockpit party, but Lance couldn't see them.

"They're gaining on us!" Pidge shouted. "Do you have a plan?"

"Unlike me, yes, yes I do have a plan!" He gripped his bayard. "Okay, you're probably gonna lose your minds, because I haven't been sane since the first time I did this."

"That's correlation, not causation!"

"Pidge, just—never mind."

He plugged in his bayard, and the wormhole opened.

Instant silence.

He flew through quickly and down to Daria. Slowly, Hunk began to unfreeze. "What—the heck?"

"Did you just make that?" Pidge screamed in his ear. "Do you know what this means?"

"Oof, you and Caden are gonna get along."

"I mean, seriously, what does that mean? Can you make a wormhole all the time? Is it just the black lion?" He jerked forward, smudging his face on the glass. "Is that the CASTLE?"

The scientists continued to fangirl as he landed. He could see Lotor's ship and REALLY hoped that was a good thing, but wasn't quite sure. The Green Lion was safe inside. He sighed in relief. Once landed, he stood, turning to see Keith and Shiro standing there, still gaping at him. "Wh—what?"

"Um, you just made a wormhole?"

"Yeah?" It had become so standard to him, he'd forgotten Shiro and Keith had both piloted the Black Lion much longer than him without unlocking that.

"What have you been doing?"

"AHH I GET TO SEE MY ROOM" Pidge sprinted out of the lion, Hunk on her tail.

"Wh—wait! Pidge there's stuff in your room just give me a second don't be mad—" He hurried after her, passing Allura, Coran, and Matt. "Pidge—"

Pidge skidded to a stop as Will stood a couple feet from the mouth of the lion. "Uh…"

"You're a human." He pointed at her.

"YOU'RE a human!"

"WAIT, there's a HUMAN?" Hunk picked Will up and studied him for a second.

"Haha, you're tickling me," Will said cheekily. Lance, Shiro, and Keith followed. "Wait, MORE humans? Ooh, Lance!" He hugged his black paladin tight, smiling endlessly. "Thanks for coming to get me."

"I'm glad you're okay."

"And you brought HUMANS!"

"Will. You're a human."

"I KNOW, but it's still COOL!" He gaped. "Ooh, that one's buff."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Pidge asked, her fingers on the bridge of her nose.

"Madam, I think the question is, who are you?" He finger gunned her.

"Will, you have a girlfriend.

"I'm the green paladin!" She told him pointedly.

"Uhh…no."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No because Caden's the green paladin!"

"Who's Caden?"

"He's—one second." They stepped out of the lion—confused—as Will turned and shouted "CADEN!" down the hallway.

"What?"

"Come over here!"

A second of silence. "I'm a little busy! Just a second."

"Wait a second—who are you?" Pidge pointed at him.

"Hi, my name's Will, I'm the blue paladin."

"Allura's the blue paladin."

"I'm pretty sure I've been the one flying blue for the past three months."

"Wait—" Allura was starting to figure it out. "Lance, you weren't in the black lion when we disappeared. Have you been here?" He nodded, and her mouth hung open. "You rebuilt Voltron."

"I didn't have a choice. I thought you guys were—"

"That should be impossible. It took ten thousand years to find five suitable paladins, but you did it in three months!"

"Two days," Will corrected. "He actually found all of us in two days."

"Lance." She looked him right in the eye. "That's _amazing_."

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up." Hunk held up his hand, putting an arm around Lance's shoulder. "You're telling me that—not only are you the black paladin, which is extremely cool, totes, but you also have an entire team of new paladins? And they're here? As in I could meet the mini me?"

Will nodded emphatically. "Dude, Jesse is gonna flip when he meets you."

"Will, is everyone okay?" The question had weighed on Lance for a bit, and he need to get it off his chest.

"Yeah. Caden found his friend, Jesse's all good, and—" He looked down at his hand, squinting. "…uhh, I can't read this, but the purple lady helped Ari and I get out. We got Lotor's ship. It's pretty dope."

Allura tilted her head. "What purple lady?"

As if on cue, Kroila walked past the hangar. "Lance I found your space son."

"Cool I found yours too!" He shouted back.

After a couple seconds, she shouted back. "WHAT?"


	38. Chapter 38 - At My Best

Chapter 38 – At My Best

All, excepting Kroila and Will, had already bunked for the night. They all were in desperate need of rest, so they all piled blankets and pillows in the lounge room and collapsed all over each other. Pidge and Hunk piled on each other, Lance put his head on a pillow on Shiro's arm, Coran and Matt snuggled, and Allura kept stealing everyone's blankets…somehow.

Keith and Kroila talked the night away in the training room.

She started. Lance had briefed her before she believed he was dead on how she should approach apologizing and seeking forgiveness. She's listened, knowing he knew Keith better than she did. So she began. "I'm sorry for leaving you. Twice. It was wrong, and the worst decision I've ever made."

He hadn't been expecting that, and didn't know what to say.

She took a deep breath. Explanation time. "When I came to Earth, I wasn't expecting any of what happened. But when I met your father—" a smile subconsciously came to her lips "—everything changed. I thought I could stay…but I didn't. I should've."

"Why didn't you?" His voice sounded husky.

"I thought I was truly needed up here. The Galra took more territory with every day, and I felt compelled to fight."

"It's like my whole life has always revolved around this." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Look, I don't blame you. I've done things I regret, too. Just—just don't do it again."

"I won't," she promised. "I'll never leave you again." She touched his cheek, and he smiled. "You look so much like your father." He looked away, and she sat up. Had she messed up? "What? What's wrong?"

"I don't know if you know this, but—dad left. He left me when I was eleven."

"WHAT?" She jumped up. "Why, that—son of a—"

"Mom, it's okay!" He grabbed her arm. "I don't—I'm over it. It's fine. I have you now."

She smiled, touching his cheek again. "Keith…that's sweet, but I am going to tear your father up when I see him next."

"Probably." He smiled. "I'm—I'm glad you're here."

She put her arm around his shoulder, and they walked back to the lounge room.

n

Jesse woke early to see tons of people crowded in the lounge room. He had planned on practicing Mario Kart with Will—who had gotten _WAY_ too into beating Lance—but this was more important. He turned dramatically to the kitchen, eyes closing for a second. He accepted his destiny. "My time has come."

He went to the kitchen, where he pulled out a box mix for pancakes. He'd heard humans liked that for breakfast, and most of the things in the lounge room had looked like humans. Lance was a human, at least. Other than that, he had no idea what was going on.

Two bumbling humans walked through his door, and he smiled upon seeing them. The bigger one in yellow groaned. "Uhh, there's someone in my kitchen wait are you making pancakes?"

"Surprise! I heard humans liked them."

"You're the yellow paladin, aren't you?" Jesse nodded. "I knew it!" He put his arm around the alien. "We yellow paladins have a tendency for food and all things warm."

"Wait, YOU were the yellow paladin from before? Like, second generation?" He nodded. "That's amazing! You're better then Lance said!"

They hugged, and Pidge held her finger up. "Wait, Lance talked about us?"

"Yeah he did. He would tell us all about you guys, especially when he was sad and missing you guys." He looked down. "I remember this one time he told us about how you took over a restaurant while the green one and him bought a video game console by swimming through change."

Hunk looked at him solemnly. "He really thought we were dead, didn't he?"

Jesse nodded. "He didn't ever tell us that, though. He was really strong and stuff. He's a pretty awesome dude."

"Why you make so much noise?" Caden walked through the door, looking quite disheveled. "Why?"

"I also have questions," said a lady Galra walking behind him, just a couple inches shorter.

"Caden!" Jesse vaulted over the counter. "So, these are the paladins! Like, before us. They're super cool. That's the yellow one and that's the green one."

They shook hands. "Nice to meet you," Hunk made sure to say, in case he didn't know.

"I'm Caden. I fly the green lion." He was at least a head taller than Pidge, but that fact nor the fact that she was a girl seemed to faze him. "This is Uma. She's a really good friend, and an amazing fighter." She elbowed him. "What? They should know how amazing you are, too."

They shook hands. "Nice to meet you," he repeated.

"GUYS!" Will barreled through the door. "I forgot to tell you what I thought of while I was held captive by the Galra."

"Wait, you were what?" Hunk asked.

"Well, it was kindave an accident, but while we were fighting, I was kindave kidnapped by Lotor's people, which is why we were all on the desert thing, so technically, you should all be thanking me for this happy reunion."

Caden tilted his head. "Mm, I don't think—"

"BUT I HAVE TO TELL YOU!" He looked around. "Where is Lance?"

"Let him sleep if he's asleep."

"He's asleep," Hunk told them. "But he gets up pretty quick."

"He hasn't slept for real the whole time I've known him," Jesse told him. "He kept on having nightmares."

"Wait, really?" Pidge looked at her hands, not quite able to discern what she was thinking. "Explains why he was fighting like that."

"But I HAVE to tell you this as SOON as POSSIBLE!" He quieted. "It's a pick up line, Jesse. A Voltron pick up line."

Pidge took a breath, praying for patience. "Yup, you're definitely the blue paladin."

n

Keith ended up sleeping on the couch, next to where Lance slept on the floor. He stayed awake for most of the night, listening to everyone breathe. He pretended to be asleep when Hunk and Pidge got up, not that they were looking. Then, he just watched Lance, sleeping quite soundly on Shiro's arm. Allura and Coran woke up one after another, making their way to the kitchen, which slowly grew in volume. He smiled to hear it.

When he least expected it, Lance's eyes fluttered open and focused on his. He smiled. "Hey, mullet."

"Hey, Lance."

"You sleep good?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's been a while."

"So…" He sat up, and Lance sat next to him, snuggled in his blanket. "You're the black paladin now."

"Mm hmm."

"That's pretty cool."

"I get why you didn't want to be the leader now. It kinda sucks."

"No kidding. I'm already stressed enough."

"Exactly." He smiled. "Well, now you and Shiro are here, so between the two of you, I _should_ be able to step down."

"What about your team?"

"We've already talked about it."

He smiled. "I'm glad you're okay."

Keith gave him a hug, thinking it was a right thing to do. Lance ran his fingers through the back of his mullet, smiling. "Man, is this déjà vu, or what?"

He pushed him backwards, gaping. "I knew you remembered!"

Lance laughed and vaulted over the couch to the door. "One second." Keith followed him down the hallway to his room, where Lance pulled out his jacket. "Found this."

Keith took it incredulously. "You—you were looking for us?"

"Of course I was looking for you. As soon as I found out there was even a little chance you guys were alive, I was looking." They looked at each other for a couple seconds, smiles stuck on their lips.

"Lance?" Ari walked up from behind, stopping a couple feet away. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Nah, you're good. Ari, this is Keith." They nodded at each other stoically. "He was the red paladin when we all formed Voltron first. Keith, Ari's my red paladin."

His eyes got wide for a second, but he covered it up. "Hi."

Ari nodded awkwardly again and turned to Lance, not wasting any time. "Once you have a minute, there's something you need to look at on the bridge."

"Okay. I'm gonna make sure everybody's introduced, then we'll look at it." She started to walk away. "Ari?" She turned on her heel. "C'mon. No being antisocial." She mumbled something under her breath and headed to the kitchen. Keith and Lance followed.

When they walked in, Will grabbed his hand. "Dude! Okay, okay, okay. Here goes." He pulled out his finger guns. "Hey girl, are you a paladin of Voltron? Because I'd be _lion_ if I said I didn't want to be with you."

Lance put his hand on his mouth to keep from busting out laughing. "Oh my gosh."

"That was amazing!" Hunk called from the griddle. Jesse nodded viciously in agreement, chocolate chips stuffed in his mouth.

"That was a pick-up line I thought of when I was—y'know. Anyway."

"Speaking of which, have you talked to Kroila?"

"Ummm…what?"

"The blade that rescued you?"

"Oh…on." He snapped. "I should say thank you."

"Bingo."

Lance turned to Keith, who tilted his head. "You know…that's my mom, right?"

"Yes I know that, mullet, she looks exactly like you."

He crossed his arms. "Well, pardon me."

Across the room, Will walked over to Kroila. "Hey! Thanks for saving me…" He looked at smudged writing on his hand "…Crayola Cocaine…?"

Lance snorted and turned around to hide his red face, as did Keith. All else were too caught up in their own conversations to hear. However, Kroila maintained a stoic face, nodding and offering her welcome. Will bounced over to Ari, and Kroila walked over to Lance. "Your space son is annoying."

"I know."

"But I'd probably die for him."

"That's literally what everyone thinks."

"Ari said there was something on the bridge to look at, and I need to contact the rest of the blades." She touched Keith's arm. "Would you like to come?"

He shook his head. "I'm gonna hang out here for a bit."

She nodded and walked out. Lance watched her go. "Did you guys talk?"

"Yeah." He paused. "Did you brief her?"

"…maybe, maybe not."

"Thank you."

He blushed. "No problem."

"LANCE!" Pidge shouted, but most everyone just ignored her. "Your red paladin has a mullet."

"Okay, first of all, she cut it, like, two days ago, and second of all, I did not suggest that haircut."

"Are you sure you didn't just put her with the red lion because she has a freakin' mullet?"

"Pidge it's too early for this kind of crap." She turned away, mumbling to Caden and Uma.

Beside him, Keith smiled like an idiot. "So, this is Voltron now?" He put his hands on his hips, looking at Jesse and Hunk making pancake after pancake, Ari having a serious conversation with Shiro and Allura, Caden v. Pidge and Matt on whether Keith or Ari's mullet was better, and Uma discussing the space mall with Coran. It was a joyous, long-awaited sight.

"They actually came up with a nickname, because there's a lot of Voltrons. V3, Voltron, third generation."

"I like it. It's catchy."

"You did good, Lance."

"Not really. I just…got good."


	39. Chapter 39 - The Unexpected Enemy

Chapter 39 – The Unexpected Enemy

Lance looked at the giant hole in space where there shouldn't have been a hole, frowning slightly. "Just when I think my day's going great, a giant swirling hole just ruins it." It was the second time that had happened to him, but he still considered it significant. He glanced at his team, all in their normal clothes, all at their consoles. The original paladins were getting settled in their rooms, and he didn't think it would be much of anything. Maybe chasing Lotor around for a bit, but being well rested and pumped, he knew he could take him. "Alright, Caden, what am I looking at?"

"It's like a wormhole to another dimension."

He tilted his head. "Is it supposed to be purple? I thought those wormholes were whitish yellow."

Caden stared at him. "This has literally never happened before. How do you know what it's supposed to look like?"

"We may have gone to another dimension before." Caden looked like he was about to lose his marbles. "But that's not the point. Where is this?"

"It's weird. There's nothing there."

"Pull up the coordinates." He did. "That's where Daibazaal used to be!"

"Dye ba what?" Will asked.

"The old Galra planet. Okay. I forgot to tell you guys this. Storytime!" Immediately, they all gathered on the floor around him, legs criss cross applesauce. "Alright, so about ten thousand years ago, Zarkon and King Alfor—the guy who built the lions—were good guys, and on the same team. This was before Voltron was a thing. Anyway, a comet—made of the same stuff the lions is made of—crashed onto Daibazaal and opened a rift to another universe."

"So the multiverse theory is true?" Caden's brain seemed to be shutting down.

"Yeah, totally true. Apparently there's infinite world stretching in infinite directions, containing infinite possibilities—"

"We get it," Ari said. "And? And paraphrase. This seems like a long story."

"A twenty minute long story! At least when Coran told it. Anyway, so while Zarkon and his wife Honerva—who, by the way, is Altean—"

"IS?"

"—they studied the rift and stuff on their planet, while King Alfor made the Voltron lions out of the comet. He didn't know they'd form Voltron or anything, so the comet is kinda sentient, but also not really, we're not really sure what's going on with that stuff."

"Trust the lions!" Will shouted, deciding it would be his new chant.

"Also, keep it moving." Ari tapped her wrist.

"Zarkon and Honerva got corrupted by the infinite supply of quintessence inside the rift and were thought to be dead, so King Alfor formed Voltron and destroyed Daibazaal forever, thinking it would destroy the rift." He stood. "I guess it didn't."

"So now what?"

Jesse raised his hand. "And also, why are we looking here? And why are, y'know, _we_ looking? Aren't the adults back to kinda take over and fix the universe?"

Caden stood and moved to his console. "We're looking at this because Lotor's _there_." He waited for the shock to wear out. "He got a ship off of Penta, and now he's just—there."

"What's he doing?"

"We'll go find out." Lance stood.

"Sorry, can I get my question answered? Please?" Jesse continued to wave his hand in the air.

Lance sighed. "I—I don't know what's gonna go on with the lions. I had been thinking you guys would be the paladins forever, but now they're back, and—it'll just be a rough transition."

"It'll be fine." Will patted his back. "But shouldn't they go on this mission?"

"Probably." He stood. "Alright, I'll let them know."

n

Kaia and Lotor stood at the edge of the rubble, eyes gazing into the rift. "It's so beautiful," she whispered.

"The last time I stood on this rock, three of my closest friends betrayed me."

She took his hand. "Let's make some new memories, shall we?"

He smiled. "What can you do?"

"Now that we're closer, my scanners are picking up definite sources of life from that thing. I need to take a sample of the quintessence on the outside and work it into the system, that way and I can figure out which wavelength to program in." She smiled smugly at her computer. "Shouldn't take more than twenty dobashes, and we'll be in business. How do you plan on luring it out?"

"With this." He held up a blue crystal, and she gasped.

"Is that a chunk of sebreig? Where in the universe did you get _that_?" Like a true scientist, she poked it.

"My father stored many priceless artifacts in his vaults, never stopping to consider what he could do with a thousand ships, this could do with one." He tossed it around as if it was valued that of coal. "Once it is activated, the creature protecting the rift will emerge, believing a threat is imminent."

"And when Voltron arrives, it will be destroyed."

"Whatever remains we scavenge will be plenty to make like ships to pilot an entire fleet."

"We'll still have the sebreig, right?"

"Of course, but it will be hardly any use to us." He slipped it in his pocket. "The unlimited amounts of quintessence inside the rift will be plenty to carry us though a new age of warfare."

n

"Okay, so here's what you need to know," Will started, hands out, preparing himself to describe three months in five minutes in the most animated way possible. "Back when you guys were fighting tooth and neck for your lives on that Halfie, we were forming Voltron. It was rough, but we managed with, no exaggeration, the best Black Paladin in the history of the universe—" the other paladins embarrassed Lance in agreement (he blushed) "—and then our enemy arose! Well, we didn't actually know he was evil until about a week ago when the Black Lion let us in on that little secret, but anyways, we've been fighting Lotor for a while, three-ish days ago we took out his main hub, and now he's pretty much all that's left of the Galra Empire." He clasped his hands together. "Any questions?"

Pidge raised her hand. "Was Ari looking at a picture of Keith when she cut her hair?"

Lance facepalmed. "About the mission, Pidge."

"I don't know, I wasn't here. I actually accidentally got kidnapped by Lotor, only he didn't kill me because a while ago, I accidentally saved his life sortave. But judging on similarities, I'd say yeah, she did have a picture. Lance has one in his room, so she might've snitched it."

"Our rooms are voice activated, Will."

"Don't try to put down my solid reasoning with some pathetic…something?"

"Science?" Caden offered.

"Yes. Science." He smiled smugly. "But yes, her hair does look very cute. Isn't she adorable?"

"Can we please get back to the mission?" Ari begged.

Lance took command. "So Lotor's in the middle of where Daibazaal used to be, and he's just…there. So all we have to do is go in there, fight off whatever trap he's laid, and take him to the Coalition for trial. They'll probably put him in space jail, and the war'll be over."

"Bazinga!" Will made finger guns in the air, much to everyone's delight.

Shiro glanced at the original team, and they nodded in agreement. "We've talked about this, and you should lead the team for this one. Your team?"

Lance shook his head. "What? No, that's ridiculous. You're the team leader, Shiro. It should be you."

"You've been leading what seems to be an amazing team for three months. You're the most familiar with how Voltron works."

Lance looked at his feet. "I—I really don't want to be the Black Paladin, Shiro."

"I'm not saying you have pilot the Black Lion forever, Lance. I'm saying you've been working up to this victory for three months, and it should be you five who win this for good. We'll see who will pilot the lions later."

"Burn that bridge when we get to it," Ari whispered under her breath.

"Oh thank goodness," Lance sighed, "I thought you were telling me to lead forever."

"We'll be here, providing support." Allura stepped forward. "We'll bring the castle in right behind you."

"Then we'll need to re-wire the castle." Lance turned to Caden. "How fast can you do that?"

He shrugged. "Maybe four vargas? Three at the least."

"Wait—" Pidge took a deep breath "—you rewired the entire castle?"

"There's actually only a couple places I need to rewire it, but it's changing the entire DNA. It just takes a while to process. This is really outdated technology, but I manage."

Coran tapped his foot. "Now, Lance, I've approved of most of your decisions, but rewiring the whole castle seems a little excessive."

"Well, how else would be pilot the castle?" Jesse asked, stating what he and the others in V3 thought was quite obvious.

The original paladins couldn't stop gaping. Allura smiled. "You never cease to amaze me."

n

Four vargas later, Lance stood on the rubble of the dead world. He heard the others chatting on the coms, so he took off his helmet. Still heard it. He saw Lotor standing on the edge, staring into the swirling void. He stepped forward.

"We both know you can't beat me."

"An excellent conclusion."

He stepped next to him, his hands clasped behind his back. He knew Lotor wouldn't try to attack him. Three months of nonstop training had paid off.

The dying emperor sighed. "It's beautiful."

"It's corrupted."

"Now, what could've done that? This is what my mother tried to uncover, and thousands of scientists by her side. The brightest minds the universe could combine, and yet, they couldn't discover the secret to this strange universe, and the many beyond them."

"It's dangerous."

"Voltron is dangerous."

"Voltron is a tool. It could be used for good or evil. Until then, it's…neutral."

"Quite wise." He chuckled. "Not wise enough."

He paused, lips pressed together. "And what do you mean by that?"

"You've lead your precious paladins, which you've worked so hard to protect, right to their deaths. I don't suppose they'd flee, would they? It would be the smartest move of their lives."

"Be straight with me."

He laughed. "In your dreams."

Lance heard panicked voices from behind him, and he put on his helmet. "Guys? What's up?"

"I don't know, Caden just started freaking out," Jesse told him. "Bro. Talk to me."

"Lance you need to get out of there right now!" Caden screamed. Not even a panicked scream, a blood curdling scream. "My scanners are going crazy. There's something out there, and something big, and it'll probably kill us all if we don't get out of—"

He threw off his helmet. "What did you do?"

"This universe is soon to be thrust into a new age, one where energy is as common as dark matter and death…evitable." He laughed manically. "You didn't think I'd bring you here without a tool of my own."

From behind him rose a swirling black creature. Without thinking, Lance turned on his heel, grabbed his helmet, and bolted back to his lion.


	40. Chapter 40 - Goodbye to a World

Chapter 40 – Goodbye to a World

"Caden! Talk to me."

"I—I have no idea what that is! I don't recognize this element from anywhere."

"Element?"

"It's made of minerals, like those rock people we saw at Carazon that one time." Caden sounded like he was having a panic attack.

"I'm going in!" Ari announced, and he saw the Red Lion zooming in. She blasted it with her lasers, but it didn't make a dent. With a swift stroke, the creature knocked her deep into space. Her coms went out.

"What in the world?" Jesse asked in wonder.

"Don't get hit by it! Try to connect to the castle."

"We can't, there's something wrong with our coms," Jesse told him. He paused. "Caden? You okay?"

He took several heavy, ragged breaths. "Lance I think that thing is indestructible."

Jesse sighed. "Caden, you're practically indestructible, too."

"Ari's coms just got taken out with a single hit. What is it going to do if it tries to tear us apart?"

That seemed to make sense. "Okay Lance now I'm freaking out, so what's the plan?"

"We should let the original paladins take over."

"There's no time. If we lead that thing back to the castle, it'll be like a duck in the water."

"Like a what?"

"Just—never mind." He jumped into his cockpit, seeing Ari zipping back. "Alright guys, form Voltron!" They flew up in formation, and Ari got the memo. They formed Voltron and zipped back down to the monster, which swirled around the rubble. "Jesse, get Ari back on. Caden, give me some specs on that thing. Will?" He paused. "Will?"

"Yeah I'm here and definitely not freaking out." His voice sounded ten octaves higher than his usual soprano voice.

"What do you think about this thing?"

"It's like us but evil."

"Yeah, but what else?"

"It looks like the literal incarnate of evil!" Lance at to admit, it did. It looked like a rock monster salamander, complete with sharp, rocky teeth. It moved like rubber and packed a punch stronger than anything Voltron could dish out.

"And anything else?"

"Lotor is trying REALLY hard to kill us and I'm REALLY freaking out because except for that evil scientist of his, he seemed like a REALLY nice guy!"

"Lance!" Caden exclaimed. "It's—I can't believe this!"

"What?"

"It's made of the same stuff as Voltron!"

"The—the same element?"

"Yeah, it's literally us, but evil! That's—that's so weird!" Caden sounded like he was bouncing in his seat. "We're definitely going to die!"

"Guys! To the left!" Ari shouted through.

"Babe we're gonna die!"

"Just listen to Lance."

Problem was, Lance had no idea what he was doing, either. "Ari! Sword. Caden, shield. I'm gonna need as many bottom thrusters as you got, guys." He took a breath. "Let's go!"

Slicing through the monster clearly proved to not work, and the shield barely blocked anything. "What's the plan, Lance?"

He gritted his teeth. This was the bad thing about being the black paladin. Always needed to have a plan, when his style was going into something blind and figuring it out on the way. It worked when they were fighting easier enemies, but this was something he'd never faced before. He took a deep breath. "We don't know how to beat this thing. We need to find someone who does." He glanced down at the rubble, where Lotor still stood, gazing into the rift. "Alright, get out of Voltron. Cover me."

"Roger," they responded, and dismantled. They flew in various directions, but Lance flew down to the rubble and walked out of his lion, right towards the gorgeous Galra with flowing cream hair.

n

"What's going on?" Hunk asked, panicking. "I can't see anything. It's just a bunch of black and explosions."

"Should we move in?" Allura asked.

"We can't jeopardize the castle," Shiro said. "Lance has this under control."

"Does he?" Keith asked.

"You'd be surprised," Kroila told him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Wait a second!" Pidge clicked on her console, Matt looking over her shoulder like a pigeon. "There's some kind of monster down there."

"So it was a trap," Allura decided. "Lotor set us up."

"No kidding," Hunk mumbled.

"They're not even in Voltron formation!" Pidge shouted. "I can't even see the Black Lion."

"They're not going to last long without a leader," Matt said.

Shiro sighed. "Alright. We're going in."

n

Lance walked behind Lotor. "Touché."

"The most powerful creature in this universe, powered by the veins of Voltron and raw quintessence. What else could compare?" He turned, smiling. He looked as pleased as a cat who had recently knocked a glass off the table. "Your 'team' has fallen apart."

"How do I beat this thing?"

He laughed. "You can't! It's impossible. It's indestructible. Your weapon are useless."

He looked up at it swirling in the sky. "So we don't beat this thing with weapons." He took a deep breath, whispering to himself. "It's basically an evil lion of Voltron." He took another breath. "Voltron isn't a weapon, it's a tool. It's not evil. This thing probably works the same way. And with the lions, you can usually work with them. So…" He sighed. "Man, this is probably a bad idea. Whatever." He clicked on his coms. "Hey, guys. Bring the creature back to the center and get out. Don't get followed."

"Roger that!"

They didn't take long. The terrifying creature swirled in the center, letting out bloodcurdling screams. He took a deep breath and activated his jetpack. He heard his team protesting loudly, yelling about how dumb and idea that was, how they were all going to die, how surprised they were that they had jetpacks all along. He kept flying straight up to the creature's many eyes, its sharp teeth. He got its attention straight away.

"My name is Lance. I'm a paladin of Voltron." It screamed cohesively, and he guessed he didn't have his audience for much longer. "I'm not here to use the rift!"

It silenced. He felt it speaking to him, so similar to the lions, it ran chills down his back.

 _Paladin….of…Voltron…_

"Yes. I was the blue paladin, then the red, and now I am the black paladin."

 _You come here…invade the privacy of the doorway…._

"The Galra Lotor invaded this place."

 _You….must…_

"Must…what?"

 _Close the rift. Seal the doorway, so I may live…in peace…_

"How?"

 _Enter…enter…_

"The rift?"

 _Lance, paladin of Voltron….with the soul of the blue lion, mind of the red lion, heart of the black lion, only you can close the rift._

He nodded. "What do I do? Once I'm inside?"

 _Find that which does not belong._

He nodded again. "Okay. But please—don't hurt my team."

 _Your children will be safe._

"Thanks." The creature swerved out of the way of the rift, screeching in pain. Lance flipped on his coms. "Listen, guys, I am about to do something that seems really crazy, but it's gonna work, so just trust me, okay?" They agreed. "Get Lotor. Remember what you learned in group training. Don't underestimate him, whatever you do."

"But you make it look so easy!" Will said.

He smiled. "Thanks. Alright, let's go." He turned off his coms again and flew towards the rift.

It grew brighter and brighter, the layers coming closer and closer. He could hear his skin burning under his armor, feeling like sunburn, then blisters, then like a slow-cooking oven. Then cold. He tried to ignore it and closed his eyes, focusing on the task at hand. Right before he flew through the surface, he heard a final thought in his mind.

 _Amend the faults of times past. Lance, the Black Paladin._


	41. Chapter 41 - That Which Does Not Belong

Chapter 41 – That Which Does Not Belong

Lance dared to open his eyes. White surrounded him.

He could feel power surging through his veins, untapped and endless. He took a second, sure this must be what people like Lotor and Shiro must feel like all the time. He took a breath and focused his mind.

 _Find what does not belong._

He used his jetpack to shoot through the area, looking around. He didn't see anything in the area, just white. He didn't know where he'd come or where he was going.

What wasn't supposed to belong? He wished he'd asked the salamander of Voltron what exactly he was looking for. He didn't see anything or anyone. But something caught his eye to the left, and he saw a Galra floating around, catching yellow specs in a container. He steered to her.

"Hey! Hi, nice to meet you, I'm Lance." He awkwardly floated over her.

She looked up at him in wonder. "Isn't this fantastic? I'm Kaia, by the way."

"What are you getting?"

Kaia looked at the canister in her hands. "Pure quintessence. It's even better then the stuff you get when stars explode."

"That's neat." He looked around. "You come here often?"

"Want me to?" She smiled. "But seriously, if you want to live much longer, you should probably get out of here."

"I feel fine."

"Yeah, but once you start feeling not-fine, you won't be able to move."

"I'm looking for something that doesn't belong."

"Cool." She nodded. "Well, good luck. Sorry if you die, sucks to be you."

"Shouldn't you get out soon, too?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm a Galra. I'm a bit tougher then you."

"Great. I'll add it to the list of reasons Keith is better then me." He laughed it off, and she looked slightly worried. "It's just my sense of humor."

"You keep telling yourself that." She straightened her shoulders. "But yeah, I should probably beat it." She clutched her canister and frowned. "Mind if I use you as a kicking stool?" He shrugged, and she kicked off his back, floating back to the black exit hole. He sighed and looked around.

What doesn't belong?

n

Ari stood up to Lotor, squaring her shoulders. "Hello, your majesty."

"Ah, the sarcastic brat who thinks she can say whatever she wants to my face, and go without consequences." He smirked. "You're without a leader."

"See, that's where you're wrong." She thought for a moment. "Actually, that could apply to pretty much everything."

"So quick witted."

"Alas, I admit it."

"Too bad you won't live to see your children. They would've been beautiful." He drew his sword, standing to his full height. "You and Will make a delightful couple."

"He makes me human."

"Too bad. To defeat me, you would've had to fight like an animal."

He lunged forward, and she swung back with her bow. While he readied for another swing, she shot an arrow. It bounced off his armor. She ducked to avoid his swing, seeing Caden jumping with his stars drawn. He sliced a nerve on his shoulder, and his left arm went limp.

"What?" He sputtered, dropping.

"Try fighting without your left arm. Wimp," Caden added, squatting to see if it had worked. Lotor took his sword in his right hand, and he sighed. "Ambidextrous. Of course. The best are."

"And I am the best." He swung, and Caden played on the defensive. The attack had been effective, though. Lotor's left arm remained limp. He nicked Caden in the shoulder, but he just jumped back and let Jesse take over.

It took Lotor a couple seconds to figure out how to dodge Jesse's attacks, resulting a quite a few nasty bruises. He struggled to fight back with his sword, and Ari guessed he'd never fought anyone with a spear before. When he got the hang of it, Jesse didn't stand a chance. Lotor grabbed his spear by the handle and yeeted him across the rubble.

Will and Ari attacked him from front and back. Personally, Ari wished Will would've taken the back, but he'd insisted. She was the more important asset, and they didn't have time to argue. Lotor conversed breathlessly. "And the blue paladin makes his comeback."

"Long time no see." He played defensive with his axe as Lotor struggled to dodge her arrows. "Thanks for not killing me, I guess."

"Then the debt is paid, and I will not hesitate."

Will mumbled something under his breath, and Lotor took offence. He caught Will in the side, and he fell away. But Ari got him in his left shoulder.

"Argh!" He fell to the ground, and all four attacked him at once. He nearly gave out, when a mystical force knocked them all off the rubble and all floating in space.

n

"I'm going in," Keith announced, storming for the exit.

"We can't risk that, Keith."

"Shiro, Lance is down there somewhere! Someone needs to go, and it might as well be me."

"You're too valuable."

"You've got to give me a better reason then that."

Shiro crossed his arms over his chest. "All of us are suffering from sleep deprivation and malnutrition. We'll be a liability, not help. The best we can do is be here for extraction."

Uma stood. "I'll go."

Kroila gave her a side glance and sighed. "We're both going."

Shiro didn't even have time to say anything before they headed to the elevators at quite a pace, leaving the others stunned and quite proud.

n

Lance had noticed a white orb—much whiter than the background—floating some feet away. He flew to it, putting his hands on it. It vibrated. "Oh, hello. I'm Lance. Black Paladin." He supposed it wasn't sentient, or at least not in the same way anything made from that weird comet were. He kept talking anyone, supposing not too many people talked to whatever it was. "I'm trying to close up that rift over there. Looks like you don't have too many around here." He looked around. Yup, that floating black dot was the only one around. "Any idea for finding what doesn't belong?"

His right hand vibrated, and he looked over. Without considering the floating white orb might be leading him to his death (he was in a bloody rift, for goodness sake), he flew to the right. He didn't notice it until it floated right between his eyes. He stopped.

A ring.

He looked at it incredulously for a couple moments, admiring the fancy lettering that looked like it was straight out of the Lord of the Rings. Gingerly, he reached out and touched it.

Nothing happened.

He flew back over to the white orb, putting his hand with the ring back on it. "Is this is? Once for yes and twice for no." It vibrated once. "So I just take this ring out, and it'll close? Huh. Seems legit enough." It vibrated twice. "Alright. Nice to meet you. Hope we—well, kindave hope we don't meet again, so everyone'll just leave you alone, if you want. But maybe we'll meet again eventually?" He floated away, thinking that was a nice good-bye.

He set his jetpack to automatic flight, facing the black exit hole, humming a Spanish lullaby his abuela had sang to him whenever he was too restless to sleep.

Suddenly, he felt his arms go limp.

"Wait, wha..aa.a..aa…" His lips weren't working. His head started throbbing, like someone repeatedly hit his head with a steel pole. His vision blurred, and he felt his legs dropping. It was like his whole body was shutting down. He remembered reading in some psychology textbook someone describing what it was like to have a stroke, and wondered if this was it.

So, when he saw a dwarf sized piece of rubble flying through towards him, he was powerless to stop it.

He flew off course, flying towards either the edge of the blackness or the whiteness. He breathed heavily, but suddenly, his lungs clogged up. He couldn't breathe, could barely think, as he barreled towards what was either the salvation of the universe in black or his own death in white.

His eyes closed involuntarily, and he unconsciously floated.

n

Ari opened her eyes, floating in space, to see a witch standing over Lotor's unconscious body. "Pathetic," she whispered to herself, and signaled around the corner. Three Galra-ish ladies crept around the corner and started hoisting him up between them. Ari activated her jetpack and readied an arrow. At the last minute, the witch held out her hand, freezing Ari midair.

"Wretched mortal! What kind of enemy do you think you fight?" She flung Ari cross the plain, where she rolled to a stop. "You try to defeat carnally, but there is power untapped. If only you would live long enough to see it all." Purple lightning spiraled from her fingers, and Ari knew she were powerless to stop it. At the last minute, Will tackled her to the ground, jetpack blaring.

"I love these things!" He said breathlessly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

She held up her bow. "I'll be better when this is over! I feel like we've been out here forever."

"Same." He turned his bayard into a sword. "Maybe this'll work better."

"Trust your instincts. Follow me." She went left, he right, and they attacked. One of the Galra carrying Lotor away zipped back in to aid, fighting Ari. Ari drew her Gladius and fought quite close to the woman. "Will?"

"Could use a little help!"

While Will distracted Ari, the Galra disarmed Ari, knocking her down. From behind, Uma jumped on the Galra, holding two small throwing knives to the woman's throat. "Get your boyfriend!" She shouted, struggling to hold on.

Ari dove and pushed Will out of the line of fire. She fought the witch for a bit, but got knocked back. Kroila dove in and saved her at the last minute. "Get Lotor."

The witch laughed. "I remember you. Kroila, is it not?"

"Don't try to patronize me, Haggar. Your tricks don't work on me."

"Unfortunately," she growled, and backed. "Acxa! Fall back. We have what we came for." With a single stroke, two clouds of purple smoke rose around them both, and they were gone. Not far away, a ship took to the sky.

Ari and Will came running back. "They're gone," she reported.

Will pointed at the swirling hole. "Look." The hole slowly darkened, swirling quicker and quicker. Suddenly, the creature screeched and swirled, diving back to the hole where it had come. "It's gone."

"We need to get out of here. That thing will blow any second!" Uma told them, Caden and Jesse slung over her shoulder. They looked at her for a second. "What? I read a lot of books, and I work out. Got a problem?"

"The twins didn't say you were gonna be this awesome," Will remarked. She smirked.

Kroila put her finger to her ear. "Get ready to make a wormhole jump." She looked around. "Where's Lance?"

Ari looked towards the swirling mix of light and darkness. "He—he went through the wormhole."

"WHAT? Why would he do that?"

"He said he had a plan. I—I trust him."

Kroila stared at the hole, lowering her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered, then raised herself. "Get to your lions. We're getting out of here."

"Wait, what about Lance?" Will asked, panicking.

"We don't have a choice."

"Are you kidding me? We always have a choice! Lance didn't leave me behind, and there's no way—"

"She's right," Ari cut in.

"Are you insane? We would be nothing if it wasn't for Lance. We'd still be wasting away on Haza, not even acknowledging that we existed."

"I know. That's why we have to go." She grabbed his shoulders. "Lance wouldn't want us to stay and die with him."

A tear slipped down his cheek. "I—"

She held his helmet against hers. "Please."

He nodded fervently. "Let's go."

They loaded in their lions, Kroila and Uma in the Blue Lion. "But he'll be okay, right?"

From whence they'd come, they saw the Black Lion roar and take to the sky, flying straight for the unstable hole. "He'll save him."

"You better be right. Last time we let the Black Lion make decisions, Lance lost a lot of friends."

"He'll save him," Ari repeated to herself.

In unison, the castle and lions flew through the wormhole, Will and Ari towing the twins' lions. Just as the wormhole closed, the rift blew blinding light ten thousand light years about, and just as suddenly as it had come, it left nothing of interest in the ruins of Daibazaal.


	42. Chapter 42 - Back From the Future

Chapter 42 – Back From the Future

The team flew back castle, silent. When they landed, the original team bombarded them with hugs and questions. But one stood above them all, and Keith voiced it. "Where's Lance?"

Will lowered his head, and Kroila took a deep breath. "He didn't make it back?"

Keith swallowed, adjusting his footing. "What?"

"He went through the wormhole to close it—"

"No!" Keith sprinted forward, barreling towards the Red Lion's hangar. They let him go.

n

Keith didn't quite know what he was doing. He only knew Lance had looked for him, when changes were he was dead. Through it all, he'd had Lance. His parents had disappeared, Shiro had left, but Lance hadn't left. So he ran.

He came to the Red Lion and broke his sprint. "Please! I have to find him." It didn't move. "We don't have time for this. Lance could be alive."

After a couple moment's hesitation, the Red Lion opened its jaws, and Keith sprinted inside.

n

Allura had opened the wormhole relatively close to the site. He hadn't flown long before he started to see remains of Daibazaal. Rubble stretched far, a minute before he could even see the center of the explosion. The force must've been massive, nothing any being could survive. Still he flew.

"Lance!" He called, knowing he wouldn't hear from inside the Red Lion. It made him feel better, though. Better than silence. "Lance!"

He swerved around some rubble and bolted towards the center. "I lost you once. I'm not losing you again."

All that remained of the unstable rift were flecks of yellow dust. Then, off to the left, he saw something. Movement. He flew there, standing. The Black Lion.

Keith got out of his lion and jumped to it. With a bit of difficulty, he jumped into its mouth, bolting to the cockpit. "Lance!" He saw the Black Paladin slumped on the floor. Cradling him in his arms, Keith pulled off his helmet and shook. "Lance! Wake up."

In desperation, he unlatched the chest plate and pulled it off. He put his ear to Lance's chest. Very faintly, he could hear a heartbeat. He forgot how fast it was supposed to be. The healing pods could handle it so long as there was a heartbeat, Allura had said one time. "Lance!" He shook him again. "C'mon, wake up." He slapped his cheek softly.

Lance woke with a cough, spitting up what looked like a mixture of blood and the yellow dust outside. Keith didn't care and hugged him harder. Lance found it difficult to recover with Keith refusing to let him go. "Wh—what happened?"

"You did it." He squeezed harder. "You closed the rift."

Lance patted his back. "You okay?"

He let go, holding Lance's head in his hands. "You scared me."

"How do you think I feel? I thought you were dead for three months!"

Keith laughed through his tears and pulled Lance in for another hug. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got run over by a truck."

"You'll probably be spending the next couple days in a healing pod." Keith helped him up, Lance's arm slung over his shoulder. "Let's get you back to the ship."

n

Keith estimated right. Lance slept in a healing pod for two days, recovering from everything ranging from internal bleeding to smashed bones. Meanwhile, the two teams made an effort to get to know each other, resulting in the yellows and greens getting stuck on the ceiling when experimenting with anti-gravity. They'd insisted Keith's permission was plenty, as he was _technically_ an adult. Shiro hadn't bought that for one second.

Meanwhile, Kroila had an issue on her mind. She pulled Keith aside for a private talk.

"Keith, Kolivan stepped down from leading the blades about a month after you disappeared."

He was initially surprised by the directness of it all. "Why would he do that?"

"He's on an undercover mission few know about. I don't know all the details, but he left me to lead the blades"

He smiled. "Of course he did."

"I like this idea of having a right hand man. If you'll come, we can work side by side."

He lowered his head, thinking. "I—I don't—" He took a deep breath. "I really want to. Working with the blades, and then with you, would be…" He couldn't find a good adjective. "But I've been away from Voltron for too long. I…I want to stay here."

She nodded, smiling. "I'm proud of you, you know." He blushed. "Maybe…perhaps Uma would be interested in joining the blades. She's quite a warrior."

"Kolivan will probably lose it when he comes back to two girls leading the blades," Keith said, snickering. "I don't think there's ever been a girl leader."

"No, there hasn't." She smiled. "But change is good."

n

Lance fell out of his healing pod a couple vargas before Pidge had predicted, so no one was there to catch him when he faceplanted straight into the floor. "Great," he mumbled to himself, standing. "Alright, I'm not meeting everybody else in this."

After changing, he headed to the lounge room, where Will battled against Matt and Hunk in Mario Kart. He spotted Lance and immediately dove into a battle against his conscience. After a couple moments of struggle, he said "Lance, I see you and really want to give you a hug but I'm also beating these two and can't give up!"

Matt looked over. "The pause button?"

"Oh right!" He paused the game and jumped up, hugging Lance. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Matt unpaused the game. "I would come give you a hug but this noob has already beat me twice already."

"Don't worry, he knows the feeling." Will punched his shoulder before zipping back to his game.

Hunk hugged Lance. "Good to have you back, bro."

"Bro," he responded, and they nearly fell down snickering. "So where is everybody else?"

"I think Kroila and Uma already left. They're apparently heading off to wherever you go to train for the blades. I think Caden's crying in his room. He's not taking it well."

"He knows we work really close with them." He tilted his head.

"Oh, c'mon, you were much worse when you were that age."

"True, true." He pulled out his finger guns.

"Allura and Shiro are checking out what's new in the universe. Y'know when they come in here you're gonna be bombarded with questions."

"Which is why I made a power point presentation on all the cool stuff I did while you guys were gone."

"Seriously?"

"No, Hunk, there isn't Microsoft in space."

Ari walked through the door, jogging over to him with a smile. "You're okay!" She hugged him, which he took as a special treat. She must've thought that was greeting enough after all that happened, and sat cross legged on the couch. A bit later, Caden came over and sat next to her, his head falling on her shoulder. She patted him awkwardly. "What?"

"Uma's gone."

"Uh huh. Did you see that Lance is alive?"

"Chances of Lance being alive since the guy you copied your hair from put him in the healing pod have been one hundred percent. So hurray." He groaned loudly, but no one felt like attending his pity party. He sighed and sat up. "Hi Lance."

"You'll see Uma a lot."

"But what if she doesn't want to see me?"

"I've seen her look at you. She'll want to see you."

He tried to suppress a smile. "…Okay."

"You'll be okay."

"YES!" Will threw his hands in the air, the controller flying up and nearly hitting Caden's head. "Even though you cheated." Matt pouted, and Will sat on the couch next to Caden. "So. We're all alive, that's cool."

"Forget this." Matt gently sat his controller on the floor and stalked out. "I'm gonna tell everyone you're alive and stuff."

"Thanks, Matt."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"You're amazing!"

"Uh huh."

"You have beautiful hair!"

He whipped around, hand on his cheek and leg in a cheeky pose, making everyone in the room either roll their eyes or smile.

Will's knees bounced up and down. "So what now?"

"I guess now the old paladins'll take over."

"So we're never gonna fly the lions again?"

"Probably not."

"Huh." He closed his eyes. "Retirement feels weird."

"What are we supposed to do now?" Jesse asked.

"I'm gonna see if I can be a technician for the blades," Caden announced, but no one showed up for the party. "Or we could go home."

"We are home. We never left."

"Yeah, but like—go home. Back to the village. There's so many improvements we could make. Like, did you know there's a water filtration system that's the size of a quarter? And it can purify whole lakes in just a couple vargas? Daria's been pretty polluted since the Galra left."

"I'm gonna see if I can be the ambassador for our planet. I'm pretty qualified." His eyes widened. "Then I'd see Lance more then any of you! Haha, suckas."

Ari looked down at her hands. "I guess I could figure out who my family is. It is weird how I was all the way at Haza with no one."

Will's eyes widened in realization. "I—I could go back to my family." He shook off the feeling. "What about you, Lance?"

He took a deep breath. "Best case scenario, I go back to piloting the Blue Lion."

"Wait—you were the BLUE paladin?"

"…yeah?"

"How did you not know that?" Caden asked, tilted his head

"I mean, it makes perfect sense." He brushed off his shoulder. "Only someone this awesome could follow up someone that awesome."

"Or idiotic," Ari mumbled.

"WHAT?"

"It goes to show there's hope for everyone."

"You're supposed to be on my side."

"S'okay. You're pretty." She kissed his cheek, then stood and held out her hand. "It was—the best thing that ever happened to me, being your Red Paladin." She took a deep breath, and he guessed she'd planned the two sentences for a varga. "Thank you for pushing me to be my best."

He shook her hand, then pulled her into a hug. She hadn't been expecting it, but accepted it anyway. "V3 for life!" Will shouted, and joined the hug with the twins.

They hugged until the others came in. In that shining moment of unity, they confirmed what they'd known all along, that this was how they'd win the war.

And for a moment, they truly believed the war had been won.


	43. Chapter 43 - Epilogue

Chapter 43 – Epilogue

"Aah!" Lotor jolted away, focusing on the eyes of a familiar friend. "Kaia?"

"Hey idiot." She held his head between her hands. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

"Where are we?"

"Listen, don't freak out, but—" He sat up, then stood, seeing the cloaked witch before him. "What is the meaning of this?"

"You have been defeated by this third generation of Voltron," she said softly.

 _Softly_? It wasn't a word he associated with her. "V3 is more powerful than any of us realize."

"That is only due to their leader. Once he steps down, we will have the upper hand."

"There is no 'we,' witch," he growled. "I will never join you."

"Lotor." Kaia touched his arm. "Listen to her."

She shifted her footing. "Separate, we will never be able to stand against Voltron. However, with your intellect and my power, we will be unstoppable."

Kai leaned closer and whispered in his ear. "Voltron's already united over half of the universe. Our forces are scattered." He met her gaze. "I'm not saying it's a good option, but it's _literally_ the only one we have."

He took a moment to think, then sighed. He clasped his hands behind his back and stood firmly. "Very well, witch. But we are nothing more than allies in this fight. Do not get attached, for I will betray you as soon as it is most convenient for me."

Haggar faltered a bit, but didn't show it. She shook his hand firmly. "Very well." She stepped to a console, putting her hands inside. "Once V3 separates, we must carefully watch the red paladin." She pulled up a picture of Ari. "She holds the key to this universe, and we must take it."

"And how do you know?"

"A wise sage informed me of her importance."

He laughed. "And you will stake our time and effort on a former paladin of Voltron? No." He took the console from her. "You wished to be allies, and now we will win my way." He turned. "Kaia. Have you recovered any quintessence?"

She hesitated for a moment, wrapping her head around things. "Yeah, I have a whole canister of the stuff. It's enough to power this ship for a whole year."

"Excellent. We will be using it for another purpose." He looked down on Acxa, Ezor, and Zethrid, who stood at the bottom command bays. "Set a course for Penta. We need to have a word with General Ranveig."

nnn

 **Author's Note-y Stuffinz:**

Hey y'all! Did you know that a lot of authors write little author's notes after all their chapters? You probably all knew that, you smart cookies, but I sure didn't know that until now, but here we go.

Man, I can say anything in this! But I must stay on task instead of just fangirling about Voltron.

Thank you so much for supporting this fanfic. You all are AMAZING and I would not have stayed through it all without you. Thanks for putting up with my weird writing; I don't usually write fanfiction (I'm more of a novel/short story girl), but this was so much fun to explore. I finished writing this chapter a bit ago and was going by a chapter a day, but when I woke up this morning, I was just like, "nah," so now you get, like, seven chapters in a day. Enjoy, my dudes.

GUYS SEASON 6 COMES OUT IN 12 DAYS AHHHH (ok I'm done)

So I will be out of the country for the summer, so I won't be able to write any more on this fic, HOWEVER, I do have about forty more chapters planned out for when I get back in August, so hang in there.

All the reviews are so precious to me! EclipseWolf18, you have no idea how big I smiled when you first reviewed :) Thank you for being the first. GriffTalon, when you said you were sad everyone was dead, I was just like "uh huh, yup, they're dead, definitely dead, don't think they're alive nope." bluejwrtr, thank you for supporting my OC's! You make me smile. FanfictionReaderandWriter, thanks for reading, and I am sorry I cannot please everyone. WolfoftheDemise, dude, thanks. I, too, binge read fanfics. I hope you enjoyed the rest.

Well, this is a good stopping point for now, and hopefully it'll be back up and running in August. Let me know what you like and don't like, maybe what you want to see, or if you think it's just good as is! Again, thank you so so so so much for all your love. Cheerio!


	44. Chapter 44 - Back to Black

_Deep breaths, deep breaths._

A snap from behind made him whip completely around, breathing quickening with every second. Nothing. Of course it was nothing, for he found himself in an arid wasteland.

Desert…y.

Arid.

Arid…

"Ari!" He screeched, memory returning to him for a moment.

 _Where am I?_

He couldn't remember a lick of anything, except that he was a paladin of Voltron, things were messed up, and he had to get back to his team.

Where were they?

It had been a while, but forgiveness could be granted. He hoped. He'd been gone for a while, and they never seemed like they needed him, anyway. A couple shining moments, he'd actually felt needed and wanted in the team, but now, not even Ari, who was the most needy person he knew, probably gave a lick as to his location.

 _Where am I?_

The panic began to set in as a light rain began to fall. He knew he didn't have the skills to combat the natural elements or the Green Lion-like intuition to fix this problem. Maybe if Caden were here, or Pidge…but instead, he found himself in the raining desert.

Alone.

 _Where do I go from here?_

n

TWO MONTHS EARLIER

"Lance! Lance, wake up. Pidge has something you're really gonna wanna see."

The paladin groaned as he tossed and turned in bed. Mornings weren't his strong suit, and Hunk's early excitement weren't helping. He remembered the days when his mama had homeschooled him like a normal parent in a poverty stricken country, and he'd been able to sleep in as late as he want, get school done in a flash, and sneak out of the house after nine with Ronnie to a Puerto Rican club. Perhaps mama wouldn't have been so angry at the sneaking out late at night, but rather, the dishonoring of his roots.

"Serious, man, this is pretty cool. Oh, and bring something you can get wet in."

That caught his interest.

Close to ten minutes later, he walked into the pool room, where shoots of water swirled around the room in pristine fashion. He could see Coran zipping around in the currents wearing a onesie, screeching in either joy or terror as he went. His mouth gaped open as Pidge, standing beside a wobbling contraption, lifted her glasses just a tad.

"I systematically arranged the gravity in the room, manipulating it so the pressures around the water aren't just in one area, but instead create tubes for the water to flow through. The gravity essentially keeps you inside like pressure does in those swirly rides at the carnival. Physics is gonna go ballistics, but quintessence works like a charm for power."

She referred to the bucketloads of quintessence the healing pod picked off his shattered bones a week ago, when he'd flown into a rift to keep it from collapsing the entire universe. While he'd been recovering, she'd been busy.

"You wanna try it?" Keith walked over, shirtless. He was soaked from head to toe. "You're gonna want to take a deep breath before you dive in."

"Luckily, Alteans have the remarkable ability to hold their breath for extended periods of time," Allura explained, wearing a fitted onesie. Hers could be defined as a wetsuit, but Coran's looked too baggy, especially when the slide spit him at the exit, and he flailed out.

"I survived the blasted contraption!" He announced, quite proud of himself. "You'd think I was piloting the black lion!"

"Sounds fun," Lance said, stepping up the makeshift ladder to the top of the slide. Taking the deepest breath he could muster, he jumped straight in.

Immediately, he lost all his breath to a scream as the current zipped him all around the room. At a certain angle, he could see Hunk getting ready to come in, too. It was exhilarating, seeing the floor so far below, the paladins and Alteans like ants. His heart rate quickened, and he could hardly form one cognitive thought.

 _V3 would've loved this._

Despite his silent wishes to see the young paladins again, it was not to be so. Caden had moved to the old Galra base, working with other technicians in the Coalition to scavage Galra technology and research it, so if another attack magically happened, they'd be prepared. Lance knew Caden just wanted the offchance that they'd run into something they couldn't identify and have to call in a Galra, and the offchance that Galra would be a special someone.

Or whatever.

Jesse busied himself on his home planet, gaining other planets in outlying systems to join the Coalition. He seemed to be bent on galactic peace, even planets that hadn't been affected by the Galra. He was away from his twin for the first time in his whole life, but Lance had no way to check up on him. He hated not being able to read them and find out how they were. The galactic version of phone calls would have to do. Jesse apparently didn't get very good coverage in the far reaches of the galaxy.

And Will and Ari. The blue and red paladins had returned to Haza to find out more of Ari's origins, but all they'd reported was that kissing was quite a fun pastime. To his knowledge, most of the work had been done on their relationship, not on Ari's family. But if that was fine with her, all's well that ends well. He knew they were good partners for each other and would keep tabs on mental health and all.

So he was left, surrounded by people who shared a terrifying experience on a Halfie bent on killing them. And he shared fun memories of Voltron with paladins he could hardly talk to anymore. But they didn't know that, of course. V3 had an annual reunion in…eleven and a half Earth months. Brilliant.

The ride skidded to an end, and he barreled out to make way for Hunk.

Pidge noticed his downcast expression like clockwork. Her brain just didn't stop moving. "What's up?"

He looked up, surveying her contraption. Looking for a question. "How does the water get from the end back to the beginning?"

"Portals."

"Duh." He rolled his eyes. "But really."

"It's actually a smaller version of the wormhole Allura uses to get us places. I looked into the Black Lion's framework, and it's so obvious that it can make wormholes. I can't believe Shiro or Keith didn't figure it out sooner, really. But I just used some extra of those blue plates to make a smaller version of it right…" She scooped her hand in the water, reaching in until her entire arm was inside "…here!"

She pointed up, and he could see her tiny hand peeking out from the entrance high above. He couldn't help but smile. "That's genius, Pidge."

"I try." She lifted her glasses just a tad, her smile fading. "I wish Matt were here to see it."

That's right, Pidge was experienced separation anxiety, too. Matt had gone on a similar mission as Jesse, but instead to secure Galra trapped planets in outside systems, to what would be the north (or the left, in Lance's opinion) of the Milky Way. Matt had visited the Milky Way several times, but as of late, V2 hadn't had a chance to make their way ore yonder. Plenty of planets wanted to have just one night where they could meet with the famous paladins who had survived a Halfie, instead of the ones who had saved the galaxy.

Like tonight.

Shiro stepped out of the whirlpool like a model, whipping his trimmed frosted tips back like in a L'Oréal commercial. "Alright, everyone, that's enough for today. Let's get ready for tonight. We'll meet in the bay and go in separate lions." They were all paranoid about travelling in a single lion.

 _Understandably._

n

"Do you think this one will have those little shrimps?" Hunk asked in the loading bay as they waited for the other paladins and Alteans. "I dunno, I thought they were a little weird. Remember? Two nights ago?"

"How much longer do you think we'll have to do this?"

Hunk sat up, ready to be the emotional support the entire team needed 24/7. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, the whole parties and speeches and thank-you's and stuff. It's getting really tiring, and I really just wanna go home." He stopped himself suddenly, so used to not being able to speak his mind. He took a deep breath. If he was going to get better, he was going to do what he was good at—talking. "How many planets are there in the universe?"

"If Pidge is right, there's an infinite number." Lance groaned. "But, y'know, she's…like…never been wrong before, so we could be at this a while." Hunk tapped his lying friend's shoulder with his foot. "And everyone wants to meet you, Mr. Famous-Guy-Who-Used-To-Fly-The-Black-Lion."

"But I don't anymore." He sat up. "Don't they get that half of us are kids?"

"I'm pretty sure Allura and Coran don't even know we're kids."

"Whatever."

"Besides, didn't you have a birthday?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, "so what?"

"So you're legal. Eighteen. Grow up."

"You have a whole three months, lucky."

Hunk put his hand over his heart. "Aww, dude, you remembered."

"I would get you Twinkies, but I've literally been to hundreds of planets and can't find anything close."

"Guess we're going back to Space Mall."

n

A little green alien took the stage at the gala. "Welcome, friends and co-workers. We are here tonight to celebrate what we have all longed for, for ten thousand years now. The Galra were unstoppable until the paladins of Voltron from Earth rose up to defend us and our honor." The crowd clapped politely. "Thank you all for being here. As you know, Syrr is a beacon of hope in the galaxy, as we research the world's top medicines to help beings around the galaxy. Under Galra control, our talents were abused and mocked, only used to enhance gladiators."

Out of the corner of his eye, Lance could see Shiro stroke his metal arm subconsciously.

"But now, we are free to use our gifts and talents to benefit all. I'd especially like to thank Doctor Sweeurium and his wife, Marianhille, for being here tonight, as well as their special operations team. Certainly, without their help, many lives of freedom fighters would be lost, and many more will continue to be saved. It was by their urging that we were able to have our heroes here tonight.

"And now we'd like to thank the paladins of Voltron, for freeing us from Galra control and bringing peace and stability to the whole galaxy!"

The crowd cheered. The paladins, dressed in fancy suits corresponding to their lions, waved politely. Coran, with a pink bow tie, and Allura, in a fancy new pink ball gown, also waved politely, though Allura had stepped down from her role as the blue paladin.

Lance was getting used to it.

"Without you, the galaxy would still be in chaos." The host smiled and raised a glass. "So thank you."

The crowd cheered for a couple seconds more. Suddenly, an ominous voice hissed throughout the room.

"…Chaos, you say?"

The scientists and humanitarians in the room whispered to themselves, refusing to scream and cause a chain reaction of terror. But they swiveled around, trying in vain to find the source of the voice. Shiro's brows furrowed in disbelief.

"Chaos is what Voltron caused when they disrupted the rule of the Galra. Perhaps you will be more apt to discover this as you sink to the depths."

The voice disappeared, and people took the liberty of screaming. They turned to Shiro, whose eyes twitched. "Haggar," he whispered rasply.

"Haggar, as in witch-Haggar? Who we suspiciously haven't seen in a while?" Hunk asked quickly, biting his nails.

Pidge looked around the room inquisitively. "She might've been using the sound system. It's a pretty high tech place, and magic would've alerted the quintessence geared equipment in the surrounding facilities. She would've been caught, unless she had a transmitter from the inside, which is impossible."

"Check it out," Shiro told them, and Pidge and Hunk ran to who knows where.

"There's a Galra ship approaching!" Coran informed them meekly, showing a screen on his watch. "I linked this technological thinga-ma-jig to the Castle's sensors, and there's definitely a ship with a large cannon approaching." He squinted. "There's also no life forms aboard."

"They're here to destroy this building." Keith put the pieces together.

"We need to evacuate the scientists!" Allura exclaimed. "Without them, thousands of years of research will be wasted."

"We'll never get them all out in time, even with all five lions," Keith reminded her. "What do we do?"

"Could we make a wormhole under the building? It's proof for space, right?" Lance tilted his head. He remembered something like that being mentioned in their tour.

"Good thinking, Lance." Shiro started moving to the door, and the others followed. "Allura, you're up."

"I'm afraid the Castle would make a wormhole far too large for the facility. It would begin to suck into other buildings surrounding, until the entire planet were caught in its gravitational pull." Her eyes brightened. "However, the Black Lion has shown to make wormholes that would be just the perfect size."

"Alright, then. Keith, Lance. Give me some cover. See if you can take down that battleship."

"On it!" "Gotcha smotcha!" Keith and Lance spoke over each other.

n

Shiro sat quietly in the Black Lion, listening to the slight whirr of the mechanics. He hadn't made a wormhole yet, but was subtly excited to do so. Not that he could be super excited; he would lose focus. His entire team was depending on him.

"Okay. Let's do this." He stuck his Bayard inside and flipped.

Nothing happened.

"Um…" He heard his commander in his ear, saying, _Have you tried turning it off and on again?_ He took it out and tried again. Still, nothing.

"What's up with you?"

Again, and again.

"Shiro! What's the holdup?" Keith shouted over the intercom. "We can't hold this thing off. It's gonna fire in a minute!"

He tried once more, but nothing.

He'd lost the trust of the Black Lion.

Another voice, not his commander, but his mother. When he'd lost something, and she'd given the very helpful advice, _Well, where did you put it last?_ He closed his eyes. "Lance!"

"Roger!"

"Get over here. You need to make a wormhole."

" _What_?" Keith yelled.

"The Black Lion's not responding to me. You're our last chance at stopping this thing."

n

Lance settled himself in the Black Lion, flipping all the switches he could to hopefully get his point across. "I'm moving on," he crossly told the semi-sentient mechanical beast. "You need to let Shiro pilot you. Last time, seriously." Also first time, since the V2 had returned, but go off, I guess.

He took a deep breath, and thought for a moment. The sky lit up with a purple light as the tractor beam made its way down to the ground.

Why move an entire building?

In a quick moment, with Keith singing bloody murder in his ear, he flew headfirst in the sky, straight toward the beam. In a quick swipe, he activated the wormhole, and the blast disappeared into an asteroid field millions of light years away.

Pretty neat.

"Good call, Lance," Shiro said on the intercom. "Let's rendezvous back at the Castle. We've got a team meeting to have."

n

" _WHAT_?"

"You heard me."

"But—why?"

"The Black Lion isn't responding to me." Shiro nodded at the new, yet old, leader of Voltron. "He's responding to you."

"You just need to give this more time," Lance begged. "C'mon, you only tried once!"

"I don't need to know any more," Shiro told him, "because you clearly are a natural with the Black Lion."

"Shiro, you're a natural _leader_ ," Keith stepped in. "Who cares who the lion chooses? If you can even remotely fly it, then you're the best person to lead this team. Period." He turned slightly. "No offence, Lance."

"No, I'm with you!" He turned to the others. "Help me out here?"

Pidge sighed. "Green hasn't been responding to me, at least not as well. I can fly her, but it's like—y'know how the lions were like our friends? It's like we're acquaintences now. It's weird."

"What are you-?"

"I'm suggesting that the paladins you chose for the lions are better suited to fly them then we are. And maybe you're suited to fly the Black Lion, which makes you the leader."

"Pidge!"

"Look, I'm not saying I like it, but that's scientific fact."

Even Keith's expression had changed: to one of defeat. He could feel all their stares on him as they awaited him taking up the gauntlet.

Or rather, the Bayard. He picked up the black Bayard.

"I'll call the others. I can't promise they'll come—" ( _he could_ ) "—but only to get you guys back on your lions. If they really have a more intimate relationship with their lions, then they can just convince them over two months or so to get you guys back in your place."

"However you see best," Shiro nodded.

Oh, how Lance hated Shiro treating him like a leader.

 **Author's Note-y Stuffinz:**

Hey y'all! I'm back from Taiwan. How are you? Did you have a good summer? Did you enjoy the two seasons I missed? Hope so!

If you noticed, like the fabulous readers you all are, this chapter is a bit heftier than the normal thousand word chapters I was doing before. I'm winging this next season of writing a bit more than before, and we'll see how it goes (I have the ending in mind, but with the middle! Anything could happen. Feel free to suggest any AU's you like, or trope you have a taste for).

I'm gearing this towards improving my writing skills and staying true to a canon (more my canon than actual Voltron canon, though my canon pulls almost 98.42% from Voltron canon, so there's not much difference.). I appreciate your comments on the story as well as my writing style and any improvements you would make! (All constructive, thank you, for I am human).

Chapters may not come every day, and that's okay! For they'll hopefully come in larger packages. I hope you enjoy! This is going to be a crazy season. Bonus points if you can figure out who the POV at the beginning of this chapter is (promise, I won't change it over the month or so that this season will finish).

Happy fall, y'all. Enjoy!


	45. Chapter 45 - Plotting

Chapter 45: Plotting

"Okay, I have several questions," Will said, his hand in the air. "First of all, what in the flippity floppity boppity boop is going on?"

"Care to elaborate?"

"I thought that was pretty descript, actually." He played with Ari's hair. "But to use a better word-floof."

"Truly, a genius of our generation."

"I try."

Caden rolled his eyes. "Guys? You guys have gotten two thousand times more physically attached, which is below the normal rate for humans your age in a relationship on Earth based on my research, but I'm really itching to get back to my work, so can we get back to the matter at hand?"

"You just want to get back to seeing your special someone," Will teased.

"That's irrelevant information," Caden stressed. "Jesse? Back me up?"

"Hmm?" Jesse looked up from hugging his twin from behind, a hug which had nearly lasted five minutes. Lance had been timing it. "I dunno what you all are talking about, but Caden's probably right."

"Thank you!"

"But you said that an opinion without fact is—what was your exact wording? Oh, right, dumb."

"That's irrelevant. And also true, but Jesse has fact enough with personal experiences to know that generally and on the most part, I am, in fact, correct." He kept the smug grin stuck on his face. "So thank you, and goodnight."

Lance only let them talk because he was in the middle of procrastinating, which was masked by a game of Minesweeper, which was masked under the pretense that he was strategizing.

"I don't think that qualifies anyone for anything. I mean, I don't know if your personal experiences are legit or what. Like, what if you're completely lying. Who's to say you're not completely lying?"

"A fact many scientists face. If an experiment cannot be replicated, science cannot confirm nor deny the accuracy of any given statement. For example, when we fly Voltron, a person who has never been a paladin generally doesn't have any good input."

"VOLTRON!" Will shouted, getting back on task. "Yeah, Lance! Why exactly did I give up retirement to come back? Not that I'm complaining, 'cause V3 is the only squad I have, but still! What's going on? Is there war? Is Lotor back? I thought he was gone forever and stuff, but I guess not! Whatever."

"Actually, we're having trouble with the lions, and the last personal connection they had with anyone was with us five." He gestured to the only people in the room he hoped Pidge wasn't spying on. "So, we're all back together for a little reunion to break from the lions once and for all."

Caden tilted his head. "So, we're gonna work with the other paladins to—"

"No, no, we're not working with the other paladins.V2 doesn't exactly know that this is what we're trying to do."

"So…what do they think we're trying to do?"

"Just be Voltron."

"Why can't we just be Voltron?" Ari asked, clearly confused. "If we have a personal connection with the lions and the lions aren't choosing them, why try to mess it up? The universe needs Voltron, right?"

"Yes and no. There's no imminent threats right now. Except for Haggar, apparently, but they're working on that. It's not especially imminent. Right now's the best time to turn Voltron back over to the original leadership."

Ari's face still bore confusion, but the others nodded in agreement. Will bounced up and down. "So, while we're here, do we get to, like, hang out with the other paladins? Cause I think that Shiro dude is pretty neat. I'd like to hang out with him." He smiled uncontrollably and repeated himself. "He seems pretty neat."

"Sounds good to me," Jesse told him. "Are we getting rooms in the Castle, or is it more of a commuting job then a boarding school kind of thing?"

"Also, when are they going to find out that we've been trying to turn Voltron back over to the original leadership? What's the timeline we're shooting for?"

"Maybe a month," Lance guessed, "but sooner if we can."

"Sounds good, or as the humans would say, Gucci."

"Please don't ever say that again," Will begged.

"Just because you said that," Caden smirked, "I will." He smiled even broader. "Haha, that was a pun. I've been trying to enlarge my communication skills and personable personality."

"You're doing great, buddy," Jesse encouraged.

"Thanks."

"Alright, let's meet up with the others on the bridge. There's a little briefing and research mission we're going to go on. You'll pair up with the original paladin that was in your lion under the guise of transporation."

"What about Blue?"

"Allura will go with you, Will. She was the best Blue Paladin. There was a little weird place where we got a little flipped, but it was just like Voltron 2.2. That really was the best, except for Keith leaving."

The others agreed and headed to the bridge. Ari held back.

"Lance? Can I talk to you?"

"What's up?"

"Are you…okay?"

"Yeah, why?" He answered too quickly.

"You just—I dunno, I don't think this is a good plan. I don't like deceiving the other paladins."

"It's not deception, it's just a plan that they don't know about."

"That's—never mind. If they think we're the best team for Voltron, why do we argue?"

"Because they're wrong. We're just kids. They flew Voltron for years, and we've just been paladins for three months. Even if they were away, the lions just chose all of you because the other paladins weren't available." He didn't mind being overly blunt and, honestly, offensive, for he knew Ari agreed.

"But that, too. You were on the original Voltron team all the time. If you aren't flying the blue lion, it's not the original. Isn't that what we're shooting for?"

"We're shooting for the best paladins to fly the lions," he gently told her, and himself, "and that doesn't include me."

n

"Okay, team, here's the plan," Shiro announced on the bridge once Lance and Ari caught up. "Pidge and Hunk have been working on tracking the signal Haggar used to broadcast her voice throughout the gala two nights ago. She didn't use the standard system the building has installed, so she must've had a device inside."

"Using the remnants of the signal in the air, we were able to find out what the device is made of." Pidge lifted her glasses. "Me and Hunk found out that it's made of titanium, which is only found on select planets in large quantities."

"I don't get it. Remnants?" Will squinted, hand out in a meme way.

"You know when you're drinking water from a plastic bottle that's been in a hot car for a couple hours? It kinda tastes like plastic. And when it's been in a metal container, it tastes like metal. Basically what witch lady did is broadcast from inside, only on a tiny device, so the radio waves went crazy."

"We were able to isolate the radio waves and pick up on the stray elements. The common element turned out to be titanium."

Allura turned on the projector, which now only she could control. "We've found a planet that used to be under Galra control with massive amounts of titanium inside. It's supposedly abandoned, but it doesn't hurt to keep your guard up."

Shiro took over the briefing. "Pidge, Hunk, you two stay at the Castle and work on figuring out what kind of device was used to broadcast." They nodded and walked right out of the room, theorizing as they went. "Lance, take your team to the planet and check it out. See if you can get any inhabitants to give you any intel on the Galra influence."

Lance nearly blushed. "I thought we'd all be going down there."

"Right now, we need to use all our resources as well as we can, which means Hunk, Pidge, and Allura need to stay with the Castle. I need to check with the Coalition."

"I'll go with them," Keith volunteered. "Lance?"

Lance nodded. "You can ride with Ari."

If Keith cared, he didn't show it.

"Alright, get to your—" Shiro stopped himself, turning to Lance. "Your turn."

Lance grimaced. He couldn't wait until Shiro was back to being the leader both ways. "Alright, team, suit up and get to your lions. I'll have a wormhole open in five." With that, the paladins of Voltron departed.

n

Ari was already in armor, so she went straight to the hangar and got in her lion. Theoretically, she could just fly into space and let the original mullet figure things out on his own, but he was already in his space suit, too. She nearly rolled his eyes when he insisted on standing just to the right of her pilot's chair. Or his, she didn't know.

In silence they flew.

"Okay, guys, looking good. Just waiting on Will," Lance said over the intercom.

"Like usual!" Jesse howled. "How is it, Ari?"

She flipped off her coms, sighing in relief. Then, she remembered she had an unwelcome visitor in her cockpit. "They don't shut up sometimes."

"And you just need some peace and quiet. I get it."

She smirked. "Did you ever turn off your coms?"

"Didn't think to do it." She supposed he had a smug grin, too. "Pretty smart."

"Will makes you do startling things," she told him.

He hesitated. "Hey, could you talk to Lance for me?"

"No."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, talk to him yourself. What would you want me to say, anyway?"

"I think he's mad at me, Just wanted to clear the air."

She paused. "I don't think he's mad at you. But if you want—if you think something's going on with him, you should just talk to him yourself. I think." She saw the Blue Lion fly by in the corner of her eye and turned the coms back on again. "We better be leaving."

"Heading out," Lance responded and opened the wormhole.

n

The planet proved to be an arid wasteland, covered in nothing but dust and the occasional, predictable tumbleweed. Dust filtered through the air, but nothing to be compared with a sandstorm. A couple deep craters could be seen far in the distance, but not even much to be of comparable concern, and even less to indicate Galra control.

"Doesn't look like anyone lives here," Caden observed as they flew above.

"Let's make our rounds around the planet. You guys know which direction to go." He flew north, and each of the paladins took a slightly different degree.

Jesse, flying steadily over the northwest, spotted something a couple miles away. "Hey guys! I think I found something. Looks like some kind of village." As he drew closer, he could see a city carved into one of the craters. "Take it back—it's a city. It's definitely a city."

He flew down, waiting for the other paladins before even disembarking his lion. They approached the city together.

"Do you think they're aggressive?" Will asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

"It could go either way. Oftentimes, those under Galra control previously don't go back to peace easily," Caden observed.

Ari shook her head. "Unarmed. If we scare them, they won't trust us."

"We might not get a chance to find that out," Keith said, holding the grip of his knife.

They all looked at Lance.

 _Where's Shiro when you need him,_ Lance sighed. "We're going in unarmed," he told them, and they toughened up. Behind him, Keith shrugged at Ari, who pretended to ignore all of them.

A large snake-looking creature with arms slithered out of the pit, hissing as it went. The team tensed. But when it slowed, the hissing stopped. Lance stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Lance. I'm a paladin of Voltron. This is my team."

"One too many," the snake hissed with a lisp.

"No harm in bringing backup. We didn't know if any Galra were still on the planet."

The snake nodded. "We are lucky, assss the Galra have left ussss alone for five yearssss now."

"That doesn't make sense," Caden said. "The Galra always stay until all the available resources are pillaged, and then they leave the planet ruined." His nose scrunched up. "I'm speaking from experience."

"Ssssome have shared that unfortunate fate, However, you can sssee our planet hasss little natural ressourcess to offer." He gestured. "The Galra came, mined our titanium, and left within a year."

"That's so weird," Jesse whispered.

A slight rain began to fall, and the snake-like creature hissed at the sky. "Perhapss the paladinsss of Voltron would be interesssted in a sssslight cup of tea," he suggested. "Assss the rain passssesss, we may be able to converssse more effectively."

"Of course."

n

The rain turned into a torrential downpour, as the paladins and their plus one sipped warm cups of sweetened herbal tea. Caden and Jesse took Will and explored the caverns of the city, which was interconnected in the ground. Meanwhile, Ari, Keith, and Lance stayed with the snake to hear the history of the strange planet.

"For many yearssss, we knew the Galra would come to mine our titanium. It issss the only natural resource our planet offersss that would be of any ussse to the Galra Empire. However, we Effimensss are ssusstaining creaturesss, and we have sssurvived many yearssss turning the natural sssoil into food."

"That's smart of you," Lance said, sipping his tea.

"How much titanium did the Galra take?"

"All of it, nearly ten thoussssand tonsss worth. The only other ressssource that would've been of any use to the Galra would be the planet'ssss quintessssence, already too heavy of a task for the Galra to complete, ssso they left."

"You're fortunate," Ari informed him. "I don't know of another planet that's gotten that lucky."

"We are aware, and where the Galra hurt us in minissscule waysss compared to the rest of the Galaxy, we adapted, to honor thossse who could not. We usssed the cavernsss to carve underground homes and live in harmony. If the Galra dared to return for whatever reassson, we would ssstand."

"What were they using all the titanium for?"

"An anssswer the Galra never revealed to usss."

"So this was a wild goose chase," Keith grumbled.

"Are you guys interested in joining the Coalition?"

"No, for two reasssonsss. One, we would be of no ussse to your Coalition. We have no resssources, and our people are no good at fighting. We would only be a burden." He bowed.

Lance returned the honorable gesture. "And the second reason?"

The Effimen smiled. "We are betraying you."

Suddenly, two druids jumped out in the doorway, blocking the exit. Two more jumped from a back room, arms out in what Lance assumed was supposed to be a threatening manner. "You lied to us!" Ari barked at him.

"Did I not mention? We Effimen had a working relationssship with the Galra. We mined the Titanium, and they gave usss protection and provision." He laughed. "What ssspeciesss do you know that can change the chemicals in dirt? Thissss planet is ussseless."

"Why do you think the Galra wanted you to stay here? So you couldn't advance or move on." Ari tried to reason with him, but Lance inwardly thanked her for buying him time to plan. Caden, Jesse, and Will might be out in the caverns, surrounded by the enemy. They were on their own until they could fight off four druids, of which he'd never even beat one. "We're not your enemy."

"Oh trussst me. The witch issss paying a hefty price for Voltron…plusss one." He cackled. "We will leave this dusssty planet for another, where we may invade like the Galra and essstablish our name."

"You're sick," Ari said, readying her hand for her bow.

"I told you so," Keith said angrily. "You should've listened to me. We could've gotten all the same information and have been in half the trouble."

"We don't have time for this!"

"Whatever."

Each took on a druid, and Lance two. He barreled between both of them, then ducked so their magic knocked each other out. Over his shoulder, he barked "Take care of them! I'm gonna go find the others." He knew Ari and Keith could handle themselves on their own.

He dove through the caverns, fighting off any Effimen who dared to stand in his way. "Caden! Jesse! Will!" Nothing. Just echoes of his own voice. "Guys! Where are you? Shout back!" Nothing. Two Effimen guards tried to run him through, but the leader had been right: they were terrible soldiers. He emerged in the cavern, rain pouring down and making the steps down the swirl turn into a deadly whirlpool of mud. "Guys!"

He heard chomping in his ear, then Jesse's voice. "Hey Lance what's popping?"

He whipped around for a couple moments before realizing the voice came from the intercom. "Guys! Where are you?"

"Well…we got bored, and Will had snacks in the Blue Lion, so we decided to head back to his lion to hang out until the rain passed."

"Did you think to let me know?"

He heard Will awkwardly stall, then Caden's sarcastic comments. "Obviously not."

"Alright. Get to your lions. The snakes are bad guys, and we're getting out of here."

"Gucci. See you in space?"

"See you." He flipped his coms to distinct close range. "Talk to me, Ari."

"We took 'em out. Seems like their power's pretty dampened. Probably Haggar and Lotor getting caught in the explosion when you closed the rift or something. Anyway…they're not recovering…probably. The snake made for the hills."

"See if you can bring the other two druids aboard. They're our last link to whatever Haggar's planning."

"So get one of the two you knocked out. Gotcha."

He smirked. "So are you and Keith's hothead heads getting along well?"

She responded sarcastically. "Obviously."

n

"So we still don't know why the Galra pursued titanium so passionately?" Allura reiterated.

"No. We didn't have time to find out, either. The place was collapsing, and we would've been caught in a massive mudslide," Lance told her.

"Perhaps the druid will be more apt to answering our questions," Coran suggested.

"The druid will be asleep for quite a while," Caden told them, sighing as he acknowledged the confused looks (save two) around the room. "When the two druids send magic flying at each other, they essentially caught each other in a loop. While this loop will naturally continue about a week, with enough power, the druid can make it last for up to two months." He sighed at the continuing confusion around the room. "C'mon, guys, this is basic physics."

Will squinted. "So the druid isn't waking up any time soon?"

"Nope."

"Why didn't you approach with weapons drawn? I'm sure the Effimen knew more than he let on."

"We didn't want aggression to be an option if it didn't have to be."

"Understandable."

Keith adjusted his footing.

"We figured out that the device is just itty bitty. Like, centimeters across. It could've been anywhere in the room. While the signal blasted everything, it wasn't very strong, just big." Pidge lifted her glasses a tad.

Hunk crossed his arm. "She probably was just a couple rooms over, because it's so small, but we weren't looking in the right places. Man, we could've had her."

"We didn't know," Jesse encouraged him.

"Jesse's right. We'll make that change next time we're in a similar situation."

Hunk relaxed a tad. "We can go through all the Galra databases we downloaded before the main base was destroyed. Maybe we'll find some construction plans for titanium or something."

"Work on that," Shiro told them, "tomorrow. We've all had a long day tonight, and we need to get some rest."

"Slip n' slide?" Will bounced excitedly.

Pidge smiled meekly. "I may have told him."

"You're all adults. You can stay up as late as you want," Shiro told them foolishly.

Half of the paladins ran screaming down the halls, the rest following in eager anticipation.

"Hey, Lance? Can I talk to you?"

And so Lance hung back to talk to Ari.

"Listen, I know today didn't exactly go as planned."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…the whole Effimen thing. We didn't know they were evil, but they are, and stuff…"

He could see right through her procrastination. It wasn't like her to reiterate. "What's really up?"

She sighed. "Keith really didn't like it that you didn't let him fly with you today. Or take his advice."

Lance took a deep breath. "It's for his own good."

"Look, I don't know how bros work or anything, not that you do either, but seriously. If you lose his trust, it's gonna be really hard to get the lions to trust us."

"It'll be fine."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

He was, in fact, not sure.

n

They watched the others flip flop through the water roller coaster, screams filling the echoing room. Will screamed in a more high pitch than any of them. Allura and Coran acted as lifeguards, though Coran was more eager to try to have a never ending loop of a water slide, instead of stepping out to catch his breath and climb back up. They really hoped he wouldn't be his own demise.

Death by Water Slide.

Keith stood by Shiro's side, wearing a water shirt he'd found at space mall the day before. "Do you think Lance is okay?"

"Of course he is. He's a natural leader, and I'm surprised I didn't see it before."

"No, I mean…when we're here."

Shiro tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, he's a great leader. I guess we all knew somewhere along the line that he would take charge if anything happened to you and me, let alone everyone, but now that we're back…it just seems like we're holding him back." He sighed at Shiro's knowing glance. "He didn't want me to fly with him, and he wasn't listening to me on the mission."

"You have to remember, we're not paladins anymore. What happens on paladin missions is his call."

"That's what I'm thinking. I don't want to confuse him. I don't want to leave again, but if that's what'll make Voltron stronger, maybe it'll be best." He sighed. "He looked so happy when his team came back, like they were his world."

"So you're saying you should leave?"

Keith paused. "I think we all should."

He assumed the veteran leader would disagree, but Shiro nodded in resignation. "It's hard to know where to lead or just let him lead. He's been doing this well for three months, without any suggestions from anyone. Maybe it would be best to just let him do his thing, and only step in when he asks for it."

The half Galran thought for a moment. "What's that mean now?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe—just slowly get other missions from other places, until we're completely working somewhere else. Quitting isn't an option, but maybe just relocate."

"Deception's a slippery slope, Keith," Shiro warned. "No pun intended."

"It's not deception, it's what's best for Lance. Even if he doesn't see it, he's better off as a leader without us."

"He should know."

"No, he'd try to make us stay. His team probably would, too." Keith took a deep breath. "But the rest of our team needs to know."

 **Author's Note-y Stuffinz**

Oof, nothing like the first season ending and literally all the good relationships in the series slowly cracking over time.

Thanks for reading! Happy weekend, my dudes. Quick question: who's your favorite character from Voltron, and why? Who's your favorite original character? (It's okay if it's a villain in both answers. We see parts of ourselves, maybe parts we don't like, in them).

If you're in Florida, you'll understand that this summer heat is totally unfair. It's supposed to be PSL season, but it feels like the weatherman just burst into flames because a window was tilted just right against the sun. When you go to bed in the south, you're a rotisserie chicken. You're hot, you turn, you're hot. And over and over again.

I'd like to thank God, my family, and air conditioning, for helping me write well, stay sane, and stay cool. In that order. Seriously. Thanks again!


	46. Chapter 46 - Dancing

Chapter 46: Dancing

"I'm sorry, we're doing _what?_ "

Keith leaned on a far wall, staring at Pidge wordlessly. He jerked his head to Shiro, strategically flipping his fringe out of his eyes at the same time, quite efficient. He stared at his leader, who stared off into space, quite the same. He didn't look up. "I know it isn't ideal, but we can't go back to the way things were. Lance is the leader of Voltron now, and we shouldn't impose on that."

Hunk sighed. "I remember how it was when you came back, when Keith was the black paladin. It was really confusing when you both clashed."

"Which is why I left."

"And nobody faults you for that. Except Lance, maybe."

Keith paced the floor.

"The palace is wired for Alteans again, though." Coran's mouth and moustache twitched. "If we leave, they won't be able to wire the castle!"

"Pidge and I can work on wiring the castle so it adapts to human DNA again." She hesitated. "If we can figure that out."

"I'll ask Caden and Jesse about it. I'm sure they'll be happy to talk about it with a fellow scientist." She tipped her glasses. "But that doesn't change the inescapable reality."

"Which is?"

"We're his friends. Lance isn't just going to let us go, especially if we haven't found Haggar yet. Even when we do, and it's not like we have any leads and no way to find her."

"Exactly. There's tons of planets that have titanium, but no others were under Galra control. It'd take, like, forever to find which one she got the technology from."

"We'll have to work that out as we go," Shiro told them. "But for now, we just need to look as unsuspecting as possible. I don't like not telling Lance as much as you all don't, but this is for best, even if he doesn't know that." He walked to the door. "If anyone has any ideas."

Keith followed him out the door, as did the Alteans. Pidge recrossed her legs, Hunk scooting closer. "You think this is a good idea?"

"No."

"You think Lance is going to figure us out?"

"Nah, he's as unobservant as a brick wall."

"Apparently not. He's the black paladin."

"But he's still the Lance that didn't notice I was the one who'd stolen his pizza rolls the second week of the Garrison and not Taylor."

Hunk gasped. "It was you?!"

"Whatever."

"I get you, though. We were a team back at the Garrison, we were a team with Voltron. It's weird."

"I'm sure there's a solution that's just perfect." Pidge hugged her knees to her chest. "I just have to think hard enough."

N

"Shiro." Keith caught his Galran arm. "I hate to admit it, but Pidge has a point. What's our game plan?"

He sighed. "Act normal."

"I don't want him to get hurt, but I get the idea he already has."

"It'll be okay. I get it." Shiro put his hand on Keith's shoulder. "You should talk to him."

"I'd slip."

He didn't comment. "I'm going to train. You in?"

Keith shook his head. "I'm gonna check out whatever specs Caden and Jesse came up with when they scanned the ballroom."

Shiro stared for a moment, nodding silently and heading to the training deck.

N

Shiro glanced at the array of Altean weapons on the training deck. He looked from a short knife to his arm, from a nunchuck to his arm. He shrugged and turned back. "Uh...on?"

"Level one, commencing."

"So that's how that works," he said to himself.

Static sputtered. "Error. Choose a weapon."

"I..." He activated his arm. "I...have a weapon."

"Error. Choose a weapon."

He squinted at the ceiling. As the error message continued, his eyes fell to the door, where Lance leaned, arms crossed over his chest. He wore his casual clothes, complete with lion slippers. Wordlessly, he flipped open the control panel and pressed a blue button. The message stopped. "It recognizes your weapon and changes the simulation based off of it."

"I hadn't used it before."

"I spent a lot of time here." He blushed. "I'm not that smart."

"You are."

Lance blushed again. "Wanna practice?"

"In...slippers?"

"Good point." He kicked the footwear to the corner and stood like a Samurai. "That's better."

Shiro shrugged, holding his arm up. "On three?"

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

Lance darted forward, igniting his sword on the way. He met Shiro and sparred twice before sliding under, the back of his head touching the floor. Shiro swung around, meeting Lance's sword halfway and leaned forward. For a moment, his eyes turned a crescent shade of purple, then back to a dazzling gray.

It was enough to throw Lance off.

His knee gave way, and he slid on the floor, out of range. Shiro shook his head and prepared his defence. "Ready?"

"Whenever you are." Lance took a deep breath.

This time, Shiro ran forward, and Lance took the defence. _Left, right, left, left._ For a couple minutes, he watched Shiro's fighting style. He had two main attacks: slicing above the chest and coming in from above, even though an undersided attack would be way more effective. _Oh, well. Not everybody can fight like Wolverine._ And he wasn't about to suggest fighting techniques to Shiro. But he enjoyed sparring with someone with a different weapon. He and Ari had fought with her short sword, but fighting with Shiro was unique. It was calming. For a moment, he reconsidered his options.

 _I'm doing what's best for the universe,_ he reminded himself.

Somewhere around the five minute mark, the training center turned on some Altean pop music. Will had begged Caden to program it in after too many sequences of silence. Not a bad idea.

Lance let the fight go on for nearly thirty minutes, and might've gone more if he hadn't gotten an undeniable thirst for some of that green goop Kool-Aid Jesse had whipped up. Right after an undersided attack, Lance dove left and sliced across, stopping right before his sword would've pummelled through Shiro's side. They both heaved, Shiro's hand hovering too high to stop the attack. Then, he laughed.

"Nice work," Shiro said. Lance flawlessly completed the bro chest bump thing he imagined Shiro did with his bros whenever he entered a room. "You're good with that sword."

"Thanks." He closed his weapon. "I've been training really hard with it, but we don't get to use it a ton on missions"

"You will."

Lance looked to the side. "Any tips?"

Shiro shrugged. "You'd have to ask Keith. I've never worked with a sword before."

Lance looked at the floor, scowling. "I don't think that's going to happen."

Shiro walked to the door, dabbing his forehead with a towel. "You should talk to him about what happened."

"I don't think he wants to talk about it. I'm not mad about it, but he shouldn't have left us. Not like that. Whatever." He pulled out his sword. "I'm gonna stay here for a while longer."

"Okay. You are doing really well, Lance," Shiro called over his shoulder.

Lance felt a hotness glowing in his cheeks, but he forced the emotion back down in his stomach. He couldn't remember the last time Hero Shiro had complimented him on anything. Regardless, he had training to complete. He pressed the blue button again on the control panel, and the room lit up. "Level Sixty-Four, commencing."

N

Caden walked right up to Pidge with no remorse. He stood like a soldier, his chin high. "My lion is malfunctioning, and I require your help to fix it."

Jesse, sitting right behind Pidge, spit out his drink, coughing wildly. He made a cutting motion over his throat when Pidge didn't look. "I...what?"

"I will repeat. My lion is malfunctioning, and I require your help to fix it."

Pidge perked up. "I have been wanting to see what you've done with her since I've been gone."

"Literally nothing, but it seems as if since her last mission, a few parts have been thrown out of order. I believe you are a bright scientific mind and perfect for any team and mission. Your opinion and professional help is critical."

Her eyes widened. "I'd be-"

"Pidge," Hunk warned from the door.

She sunk back into her seat, typing away. "Actually, you can take care of it. You've been flying her for three months."

"Three months in vague comparison to your three years?"

Pidge glanced back at Hunk, who shook his head. "You fly the green lion, Caden."

"No one can fly the lion if the controls do not function properly."

He consented, and Pidge bounced off, Caden walking behind her at a moderate pace. Jesse smiled, giving Caden a thumbs up. Hunk leaned on a wall, frowning. "How'd you guys survive if you didn't know how to fix your own lions?"

"I think Caden just wants to hang out with Pidge. I'm not really much of a scientific mind. I mean, I do science-y stuff, but not the same as him." Jesse sighed. "He's really smart."

Hunk sat beside him. "You live in his shadow your whole life?"

"The Galra weren't really interested in someone who could improve housing or the water system, or general welfare. They wanted someone like Caden who could improve weapons of war and quintessence harvesting techniques. Not like he would do something like that, but that's just his skill set."

"You know he's not more important?"

"I know. But now he's off doing important stuff for the universe, and I'm trying to get my people to work together. I know I'm going important stuff, but..."

Hunk put his arm around Jesse. "I get it. It's like, you're the nice one who looks after everyone's mental health, and suddenly you're not as important."

"Uh huh."

"Lance and I got that a lot. But we knew our value."

Jesse smiled, genuinely. "I do." He pointed at his heart. "In here. I don't need anybody to tell me. But I do wish Caden were back home. We have a lot of important work to do here, and the more time we spend with Voltron, the worse things are getting back home. I just can't wait until we can be done." He stood, not letting Hunk have another word. "Thanks for the advice, man. It helps."

"No problem."

N

Allura peacefully looked over the map of the universe, smiling at the planets colored in an aesthetically pleasing blue. "Father would be so proud of the progress we've made," she told herself. "Look at all the planets we've liberated with Voltron." Her smile faded with the several planets still plagued with a red light. "We'll finish this fight, father. I promise you."

"Do you need a second?"

She turned to see Will standing in the doorway, a hairbrush and spray bottle in his hands. She shook her head. "Come in. I was simply strategizing for which planets still require liberation."

He pointed. "What's that black area?"

"The outer rim. Altea explored the universe as quickly as possible, but the universe is constantly expanding, societies constantly being added. These have developed in the last 10,000 years, since Altea was destroyed."

"I'm sorry." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "You must miss it."

"I do, but their memory inspires me to carry on. My father created Voltron, and since then, it has inspired many and saved many more. I hope to carry on his legacy."

"You must've been pretty excited to be a paladin."

Her eyes glossed over. "Indeed, I was. But now, Voltron is in much better hands."

Will looked off to the side. "I think you were a pretty fantastic paladin."

"Thank you, Will." She patted the seat beside her. "What can I do for you?"

He held up his brush. "Okay, so every since we met, I've been wishing you would allow me to braid your hair? Ari used to have pretty long hair that I could do tons with, well, before I accidentally kissed her and things got weird but we're cool now! And I kinda want to marry her, but not until she's cool with it. Anyway. Since she cut it, I haven't been able to practice on anybody. I was wondering if I could play with your hair?"

She smiled, turning her back to him. "Have away."

The mice at his side, Will went to town.

N

Ari sat in the same room as Keith for three whole minutes and felt her mission was accomplished.

N

Lance met with his paladins before bed.

"They seem really discouraged," Jesse told him, "like we're better or something."

"I accomplished my mission," Caden informed them. "Pidge sat in the cockpit of the green lion and even stroked the controls. I do not know what else could have been expected of me."

"You did great," Lance assured him.

"I like Allura," Will announced. "She has floofy hair. I'll be picking it off my shirt for decaphebes."

"Ari?" Lance asked.

"No comment." Lance tilted his head. "Keith is a brick wall, which I appreciate that."

"Okay. Are we making progress though?"

"Yeah, but it's like they're actively trying to get us to stay in our lions."

"We'll work at it. What we really need is a life or death situation."

"Speaking of life or death," Jesse announced, "I think I've got something that just might help our search for Haggar. I found something on the ship that's made of titanium, or some otherworldly property that we thought was titanium."

"So it's alien?" Will asked.

"Everything's alien, technically. Depends on your home. It's not from our planet, or Earth."

Caden perked up. "It isn't registered on any galactic database. We're coining it Keystone."

"Why Keystone?" Lance asked.

"Because," Jesse said, pointing at the necklace Ari wore, "it's made of the same stuff as your key."

 **Author's Note**

Happy finals season, y'all.

Thanks for the reviews! Each and every feedback helps me become a better writer, as well as write characters that aren't mine to begin with (an art form all its own). I hope y'all like this chapter, and I'll hopefully be able to write more as school ends this week for me. May the pain ease for your own finals season, and may you finish strong. If you're reading this super late at night, go to sleep. It'll be here when you wake up (and maybe another update lol)

:) Happy travels, friends


	47. Chapter 47 - Humans? IN SPACE?

Chapter 47 - Humans? IN SPACE?

Pidge glared at the mirror, nose inches away from the glass. _Freckles are stupid,_ she thought to herself. She remembered several nights when her parents and Matt had been at some Garrison event and she'd been left at home, the tender age of eight or nine. She remember avoiding the one goth, fourteen year old babysitter ( _I think her name was Marianne?_ ) as she gathered ingredients to rid her cheeks of freckles once and for all. But the internet had failed her, and the freckles remained.

She considered giving Matt back his glasses, or just trashing them due to lack of irony. They'd been a nice addition, but whenever she took them off now, her eyes stung. Besides that, she wanted to be taller so she and Matt could scare the crap out of Shiro when he couldn't tell them apart. _Hopefully._ The glasses would stay.

Hunk held scissors in one hand, and a comb in the other. "Remind me why we're doing this again?"

"When I was in the green lion, I happened to be working right in front of the view. I had about an hour where I was just offhandedly staring at this scraggly mess I've had for hair." She squinted. "I just want it to go back to the way it was."

"Same," Hunk lifted his tools.

She stayed perfectly still, except for her smile dampening ever so slightly. "You miss flying yellow?"

He nodded. "I remember the first time I jumped into yellow. She lit up like a Christmas tree. I get chills just thinking about it." His fingers stopped moving. "The first time we did a nosedive, I thought I was gonna throw up. Actually, I think I did throw up. But I just got this nice feeling, like when my little brother would hug me from behind." He shook his head and went back to snipping. "But it's fine. Jesse's great. I feel like we would be great friends if everything wasn't so weird, but I think Lance is having them get to know us, which is nice."

"Caden didn't even need by help yesterday."

"Yeah, like that. It's nice, but it's just gonna make it harder when we leave."

Pidge fingered her shirt. "I don't get it. Just because we can't lead or anything doesn't mean we can't help."

"We can help, just somewhere else."

"I get that." _Liar. I understand nothing._ "I don't wanna go against Shiro or anything, but I think we could stay."

"Pidge, we've been over this," he kindly reminded.

"I know. And I wouldn't say anything to his face. But you remember how he yelled at Lance. I just don't know if this is the best option for our team."

"Me neither, but we've been trusting Shiro this long. And Lance is a really good leader."

Pidge hugged her knees to her chest. "I'm gonna miss him so much."

"Me, too." He touched the left side of her head. "How's that look? Is that enough? Or more off?"

She turned all the way to the left. It curled just under her ear, a tad shorter than before. She brushed her fingers against it, lifting her chin. "I like it. It's crisp."

"Maybe I'll do Keith next."

"You'd try."

He fingered the strands on the back of her neck, grinning at their reflection. "You're gonna bring all the boys to the yard."

She paused for a moment, then squinted. "You have no idea what that song means, do you?"

He smiled. "Milkshakes..."

N

The four paladins peeked over Lance's shoulder as Haza came into full view. He knew his paladins hadn't seen _Star Wars: A New Hope_ , but he so wanted to remark how it was a hive of scum and villainy. Pidge and Hunk would've gotten a laugh out of it, or maybe just an eye roll. Instead of hearing his spunky reference, they listened to Will's unceasing chatter.

"I found this thing called a stapler, which is really neat, and I was also doing some research on planet Earth and found out that there's a place called Staples, which doesn't just sell staplers and staples which I don't really think is a good marketing technique, I mean, what person goes into a staples store expecting to see a bunch of office supplies?"

Caden leaned forward, whispering in Lance's ears. "How do I make him shut up?"

Lance looked behind, talking over Will's wonder. "Ari?"

She glanced at her boyfriend and, without warning, kissed him on the lips. He stuck in the same position, jaw wide open. Ari took his hand with a smug grin and massaged his fingers. Still, he made no movement.

Caden snorted. "Love makes one completely out of character."

"Speaking of which...?" Lance asked.

"That is irrelevant. I merely have a strong liking for Uma. Our relationship does not and likely shall not progress beyond this point, especially as I have little to no chance of seeing her on our Voltron missions."

Jesse elbowed his brother in the ribs. "You LIKE her!"

"Of course I do. I am more surprised the rest of you are not interested in her. She has proven to be a strong woman that would make a desirable mate." He blushed. "And...her hair is quite soft...she let me touch it one time."

"Don't make me wish she were here to kiss you," Jesse laughed.

Caden turned even more red.

"Haza," Lance said as the planet drew closer. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."

" _A New Hope_!" Will shouted proudly, breaking out of his stupor. "I saw that one a while back. Apparently it's on some intergalactic database."

Caden squinted. "Why would a human film be on an intergalactic database?"

Lance stretched out his hand, taking Will's free one. "Did we just become best friends?"

"Our bond cannot be broken by the waves of time." He squeezed his hand. "Marathon tonight? I haven't seen the other two."

"What about the prequels?"

Will's eyes widened. "There's prequels?"

Lance turned back around. "...no..." He shifted in his seat and began to make his descent. "Alright, y'all know the plan. There's no other planet that has such a wide variety of random experts, so we just have to find the right person who knows where Ari's key came from. I'm going with Jesse, Caden's going with Will, and Ari's on her own. Rendezvous back at the ship." He landed neatly in a crevasse in the rock. "Pidge installed her cloaking technology on this ship, so we won't have any trouble with the locals. You have two vargas to figure out whatever you can."

"Do we have an allowance?"

Lance rolled his eyes and evenly distributed what cash he had. "Spend wisely."

"Yahs!" Will screeched before bounding out the Altean cruiser. Caden reluctantly followed behind him.

Ari stood on the side, arms crossed. "What if the others get attacked?"

Lance paused, resuming to nervously tap the control board. "All the lions are still in the castle. As far as they know, Haza's too dangerous to fly a lion in. If worst comes to worst and Haggar attacks, they'll be forced to fly their lions."

"Which is what we want."

"Yes."

"Cool. I'll be back in three vargas."

"Two!"

"I've got some stuff I need to take care of," she told him, running out the door before he could put in another word.

N

Will jumped from booth to booth, examining some blue rocks at one and some metal casings at another. Caden reluctantly followed behind, pausing to ask if they'd seen something like in this picture before, or if they'd come across any similar objects made of titanium. Nothing. He nearly pulled his bayard out and took Will's head off, but that would just stress Lance out more.

"Will!" A voice called.

Will whipped around to see a familiar face. "Deca! What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in ages!"

After a brief bro hug, he released briefly. "Okay, so a little birdie told me that you and Ari got something going on?"

"Dude. She is amazing. I can't believe I got so lucky."

"Yeah, she's way too good for anyone. Some rumors were floating around about her since we found out that there were more humans in space, but I guess I'd have to ask her to confirm. Conspiracy theories and whatnot." He looked around. "Is she here?"

"Somewhere around here, but good luck finding her." He turned. "Hey, this is my friend, Caden."

"Colleague." Caden shook Deca's hand, decked out with four spindly, gray fingers on each. "I'm the brain of the operation."

Will put his arm around Caden, who flinched. "He and Jesse are, like, the smartest people you'll ever meet. And then Ari's Lance's right hand man. Lance is the leader, by the way. He's awesome. I'll have to see if you can meet him and Jesse."

"I'll keep my eyes peeled. Humans aren't really too common around these parts."

"Any parts, really. We're a rarity."

Caden flipped Will's arm off his shoulder. "I hate to break up this touching reunion, but we are in the middle of a mission, and I'm unfortunately assigned the unhealthy task of babysitting, so if you'd excuse us."

Deca stepped back, walking around. "Of course. Important universal hero business, I get it. See you around, Will! Don't forget your Haza crew."

"Never!" Will called over his shoulder as he reluctantly ran after Caden. "C'mon, we have enough time."

"To mess around? I don't believe you have the idea of what we're doing here. We're working to take down the last major superpower in the universe, and if we fail, the consequences will not only equal our personal deaths, but the deaths of the universe and its developing parts."

"He might've been able to help."

"I don't see your friends as the kind of peoples who might have insight on a specific element," Caden remarked snarkily.

"Didn't you want to see everybody back home when you finished with your Voltron stuff?"

"No. I'm smart enough on my own. I don't need help."

"What about Jesse?"

"Jesse and I can stand on our own. Combined powers and whatnot, but I don't need him."

Will looked up at the dome of sky beyond the planet, stars unable to be seen due to hundreds of thousands of years of light pollution. A planet older than the Galran Empire, constantly corrupted. He nodded. "Okay."

N

"Anything?" Keith walked into the Green Lion's hangar, sweating from his workout. Neither nerds looked up from their computers, so he leaned on the side. "So I'm guessing there isn't anything."

"It's been five hours, and our sensors haven't picked up anything. I just wish Lance would get back here so we could work with Caden and Jesse."

"My brain's turning to food goo," Hunk groaned. "I need a break."

"Haggar's out there somewhere," Pidge snapped. "We have to find her, or what are we even doing here?"

Hunk set a hand on her shoulder.

She folded her hands, staring at her screen. "It's like the entire universe changed when we left. I'm probably looking for the wrong thing, and I don't even know it."

"We'll find it," Hunk told her.

"You don't know that."

"We'll keep trying," Keith told them, turning away. Suddenly, red lights flashed and an alarm sounded. He turned back to them. "What's-" A blast hit the castle, and the very floor rattled. "Guys," he growled.

"Is it Haggar?" Hunk screeched.

"It's-it's Sendak," Pidge told them. "He must've gathered his forces since our fight at the hospital. His fleet's so much bigger."

"We need Voltron," Hunk told them.

"We don't have Voltron! Lance took his stupid team to some planet on the other side of the galaxy, and the line's been dead since then." She slammed the button once more. "They're not coming back."

"But we need Voltron," he repeated. "And we do have all the lions."

The three stared at one another. Suddenly, Shiro's voice echoed over the coms. "Get to your lions."


	48. Chapter 48 - Lost in New York

Chapter 48: Lost in New York

Shiro settled in the Black Lion, taking a deep, slow breath. His hands hovered over the controls, lowered slowly on the rubber grips. Eyes fluttered closed, muscles tense. It smelled like a frozen wasteland, quite different from the new car smell he remembered. A heaviness settled inside the lion, like an incoming explosion had increased the air pressure by two or three points. He took another breath.

"I know this isn't ideal. Lance is your paladin, and no one doubts that." His grip tightened. "But my team needs Voltron. I need you to work with me." He opened his wet eyes. "Please."

The ultraviolet lights lit up the lion, front panels activating. He heard the familiar purr from behind, and he grinned. "Thank you." With one leap, he sped through the hangar and out the top of the castle. He could see Pidge to his left and Hunk crashing through a ship in front of him. "Hunk and Pidge, you're in my field of sight. Is everyone out here?"

"Red's not responding to me!" Keith growled. "She's being stubborn."

"It's the Red Lion's nature," Allura told him. "You'll have to take a couple moments."

"Is Blue giving you trouble?" He asked.

"No, it's just-" She sighed. "It feels wrong."

"We'll work it out later," Shiro assured her. "Right now, we need to defend the castle, and wherever Sendak's headed. If he's on the peaceful side of the universe, it can't be good."

"Maybe I should stay back at the castle. If Lance contacts, I'll need to be on the bridge to open a wormhole."

Shiro glanced around his compartment. No bayard. Not that he and Lance had talked about how to open a wormhole. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"More like burn it," Hunk told them. "Sendak's carrying some serious firepower."

"Even with Voltron, it'll be risky. We can't afford not trying," Pidge reasoned.

The princess hesitated. "I don't like it." Her coms flipped off, and a few moments later, the Blue Lion dashed out of the castle.

Shiro settled back. "You don't have to rush it, Keith."

"I haven't flown Red in years," he mumbled.

"You'll be okay."

"What if she won't listen to me?"

He looked down. "She'll have to."

N

Bright lights, dark alleyways. A couple raced down one to make out in the shadows, and in another he could clearly see a common criminal robbing what looked like a space pirate. Flashing signs for recent products could be seen alongside a peeling advertisement for Galran troops. Jesse seemed consumed by all there was to see, but it was just another big city for Lance. Just another New York archetype, or Chicago. Worse than Chicago.

He answered his phone. "Hello?"

Caden didn't bother with preliminaries. "I kept a copy of the castle's coms attached to my phone. Those left behind are being attacked by Sendak."

Chills went up Lance's spine, and he took a deep breath. "Are they in their lions?"

"I believe Keith has just now been able to fly the Red Lion. The others almost immediately bonded."

"Good."

"What now?"

"We'll work it out when we get back." His phone buzzed, and he saw a message from Ari. "Hey, Ari just texted me. She found something. You guys think you can rendezvous to a place called...Bona's Boutique?"

"On our way." He heard incoherent screaming in the background, followed by Caden growling, "Or as soon as I can get Will from stopping at every booth he sees."

"Alrighty." Lance stuck his phone back in his pocket. "Bona's Boutique. Any ideas?"

"Could always ask someone." Gunshots ricocheted from the dark alleyway where the lovers had gone in, as one ran out with a completely different face and a machine gun. "Or...maybe not." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Man, I really don't like big cities. Seems like something's always wrong with them. Maybe...maybe back home, we can just have a bunch of little cities, and they'll all have little problems, but all the big things will happen at some university or something, where all the younglings can come together."

Lance patted Jesse on the back. "You make a great leader."

N

"It's too many!" Pidge screamed, barrelling into Hunk. "We need to form Voltron NOW!"

"In case you haven't noticed," Keith yelled, "the last two times we tried to do that, nothing happened!"

"I don't know how much more of this the castle can take!" Allura updated them, getting hit by another round. "Or us, for that matter."

"We have to try again."

"Let's face it, we're not paladins anymore, we're just pilots who got lucky."

"None of us even want to be doing this right now!"

"Guys!" Shiro silenced the panicked chatter. "I know this isn't what we wanted. I know we aren't paladins anymore, and we're completely out of practice. But we can't focus on that right now. Focus on the fact that you want to fight. You want to live on and be better. Channel that into bonding with you lion." Shiro himself closed his eyes and sat back, imagining how wonderful it would be to fly with Earth just in sights. "On me," he calmly said.

The paladins silently flew on either side of Shiro, eyes closed, hands just on the controls.

"Now." He leaned against the headrest. "Form Voltron."

N

Lance stood in front of the building, his friends at his sides. "This is it?"

Ari nodded curtly. "I asked around."

"That's what she said," Will snickered.

"That's-not how that works."

"That's what she said!"

Jesse leaned over. "Did you teach him that?"

"Some guy at a cheap gift shop said it," Caden groaned. "I've been hearing it for an hour straight. I-I might kill him, if someone else doesn't."

"That's what SHE said!"

"Guys," Lance warned, and the snickering ceased. He looked at Ari. "Ready?"

"Mm hmm." She held her bayard in one hand, the key in the other. "Let's go."

The shop had tainted glass doors, or perhaps the glass was really thousands of years old enough to be a dark brown. Musty lights hung from the ceiling and looked as if no one had bothered to clean them for millenium. Musty products without prices decorated the sparse shelves, ranging from completed DIY craft sets to glass bottles with actual messages inside. The floor, which looked like it used to be black and white kitchen tile, instead looked like a weaving pattern of wet footprints all around the store.

Will immediately ran to the back of the store, reading strange item descriptions and occasionally uttering his favorite new phrase. Caden sunk into a seat, head in his hands as Jesse patted him on the back and reminded him that next time, it would be someone else's job to babysit Will. Lance walked to the front counter, where an alien clod in a forest green cloak stroked a gray cat. Ari slunk behind him. "Travelers. Welcome to my humble abode. I believe I have not accumulated a customer in the past four hours, though that has little to compare with the time fifteen hundred years ago, when I did not have a customer for three months."

Lance laughed, sure it must be a joke. "Are you Bona?"

"Indeed."

"You must've had this shop for a while." He admired the open sign in the window that looked older than dirt. "Has it been in your family?"

"We just need to figure out if you've seen something like this before," Ari snapped, slamming the key on the counter.

"Ari."

"We don't have time for small talk."

The faye lifted the key gingerly, eyes and mouth wide. "I haven't seen this key in quite some time. I believe the last time I came across it was when someone from your lineage brought it in some three thousand years ago."

"It's not mine. I just found it on some random planet."

"And yet Dastine always has a way of finding a way back to its rightful owner, does it not?"

Caden sat up. "Dastine? What's that?"

Bona handed the key back to Ari. "The alloy this key is formed of."

"I thought it was made of titanium!"

"Its chemical properties are similar, nearly indistinguishable from modern titanium, but this alloy can only be recovered from the planet Jastar, which has been in ruins for several millenium. No modern database would bother including the metals from there, which have only slight chemical differences from modern elements."

"You know your stuff." Caden crossed his arms, impressed.

"When you have been alive for an eternity, you learn a thing or two, even an art mind as myself." She waved her hand. "I haven't learned to branch off, as I am sure you can tell."

"THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!" Will shouted from the back of the store.

They all groaned, including Bona. "And yet, modern senses of humor cease to amaze me."

"Same." Lance put a hand on the counter. "Where was it you said we could find this? We're looking for someone who's using the same stuff."

"Yes, Haggar. You may find remnants of this metal at the ruins of Jastar. Though, you may also discover more than you bargained for."

"Whatever. We just need to find her so we can get out of here." Ari took her boyfriend's hand. "They should be done with Sendak soon. We can head back."

The others followed her out of the shop, falling into a deep coughing fit. Lance stuck behind for a moment. "You wish to inquire of me, Black Paladin?"

"I...you said that key belonged to Ari's family?"

"Indeed. Dastar has a special bond with the smiths who wield it, enough to bond with the family for the rest of its existence. Strange properties, similar to the properties of Voltron."

"Yeah. Do you..." He took a deep breath, unsure of how to ask. "What's her family name? I know she wouldn't ask, she doesn't really care to know, but I just know how important family is. We should find out."

Bona took a breath. "Schuttmann."

He jotted it down on the palm of his hand, sure he was botching the spelling. "Thank you." He walked to the door.

"Black Paladin!" He turned, yet she hesitated. "I have been alive for quite some time. History does not quite repeat itself, but there are clear trends, especially as galactic empires rise and fall. Please, when you find what you are looking for, you will find much more. Please do not let it go to waste."

"I...I don't understand. I don't understand anything."

The cat jumped off her lap and onto a nearby shelf, knocking a glass bottle on the floor. Bona sighed and rose from her seat. "You will. We both will."

N

Lance walked into the bridge alone, where the five paladins and Coran stood, backs to him, eyes focused on the mass of space with littered rubble from Sendak's ships. Apparently, he'd had an escape pod like a true Galran, and abandoned the fight. Or so he's heard when he replayed the coms Caden had recorded.

Keith recognized his footprint and whipped around. "Where were you?"

"...Haza? Thought y'all knew that."

Keith got up in his face. "Now's not the time to be sarcastic, Lance! What were you thinking? You didn't pick up your calls and you didn't even bother send a message when you figured out you'd be staying past your two hours."

"We were attacked while you were gone," Pidge said with attitude.

"That explains the rubble."

"Is this some kind of joke to you?" Keith yelled. "Sendak was here. If you were here, your team might've been able to stop him."

Lance pointed. "Looks like you guys did fine on your own."

"We only did fine because we were forced to form Voltron again," Allura informed him in a dark tone. "We were lucky the lions were gracious, or us and the castle would've been destroyed, and the lions in the hands of the Galra."

"I don't see why you're so surprised." He stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. "You're the true paladins of Voltron. You're the best."

"That's not true," Shiro said, "not anymore."

"You guys formed Voltron almost immediately, even after being away for three months, and then not flying the lions. You're the best chance at finding Haggar and fixing all this. And besides, my paladins want to go home."

Hunk lifted his head. "You've been planning this."

"That's not the point-"

"What'd you think we'd do? Just kick them out? We tried to form Voltron, Lance! It didn't work before because you're supposed to be the leader!"

Lance flinched at Keith's outburst, but regained his composure. "This isn't up for debate. We're leaving."

"Not if we leave first," Pidge snickered.

"What?"

"Even if you don't believe it, you're the best leader for Voltron, and your team is the best team." Shiro stepped forward, in front of his steaming right hand. "The more of us that are here, the more confusing it'll be for you and your team."

"What are you saying?" Lance took a step back.

"I'm saying we're leaving. We've already talked it through, and we didn't want it to go down like this, but it's decided." He turned, and V2 began filing to the doors. "I'm sorry, Lance. But this is what's best."

"You don't get to decide that!"

"Actually, we do," Keith snapped. "Good luck with Voltron."

The others filed through the doors without another word.

Shiro put a hand on Lance's shoulders. "I'm sorry we had to leave like this."

Lance bit back tears. "Why do you have to leave? This is stupid."

"Lance-" He looked away. He couldn't look him in the eye. "You're going to be great."

"Don't do this," he begged. "I can't lose you all again."

"We're just a phone call away."

"You expect me to call after how they just left?"

Shiro stayed silent and walked to the doors. "Goodbye, Lance."

 **Author's Note**

Don't you think it would be cool if TV shows had 10 minute episodes every day, instead of one hour long episode every week? I think that would be a nice influx of content. Maybe have week long breaks every now and then, and maybe Sunday off. That'd be cool, and all streamed to this app on your phone, so you can watch it whenever. And then it can accumulate into episodes every five days or so. IDK if this exists. This isn't sponsored, I just think that'd be a cool entertainment thing-y.

! Have a lovely day.


	49. Chapter 49 - Inheritance

Chapter 49 - Inheritance

He sat silently on the floor, legs crossed, as purple light leaked from the crevasses around. He was sure the sharp contrasts of black and purple made for quite the aesthetic picture, but he continued to meditate in silence. Sweet, sweet silence. So little time, and already he was shot into solitude once again. He wondered if his actions might've caused his friends to speed away so quickly, his only allies in a fight of the mind. But it was their decision. He convinced himself there was nothing he could've done. For the moment, it was enough.

The door swung open, dark light casing around a tall silhouette. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes with a calm smile. The woman crossed her arms, smirking. "You done with your sloping sad time? If you're finished feeling sorry for yourself, the rest of the universe could really use a mind like yours."

"Thank you, Kaia. But meditation is critical for the mind, especially with the monumental challenges we face. You might do well to pause before making a rash decision that may result in your death."

"Ah, Lotor. Always the romantic."

"Never any different." He stood and kissed her hand. "I suppose the witch has summoned me once again."

"She's your mother."

"She is an ally, and nothing more. We shall treat her as such until a more favorable opportunity arises. In the meantime, I would advise you to avoid getting too attached." He puffed out his chest. "Into the unknown."

She caught his arm. "Lotor. Family's important."

"Not to the Galra."

"Ah, but we are not true Galra, are we? You are not your father, and I am not my mother, no matter how similar we may seem. We ourselves will define our paths with whichever culture suits us best. We write the rules now." She touched his shoulder. "Before I was your fianceé, I was your adviser. So may I advise you?"

He nodded. "Always."

"The witch is more powerful than conceivably possible. Not only would she be a dangerous enemy, but she would be a powerful ally. Family is a stronger bond than any military alliance, even when there are strains."

"So what would you propose?"

"Spend time with her, even if to simply strategize. She knows more of Altean culture than any. You've been fascinated with Altean culture your entire life. It would do you good to talk with one who remembers Altea as it really was, in all its glory and splendor." He looked down. "And in a more practical sense, she knows plenty more of Jastar. You cannot expect to regain control of the Galra Empire if you don't have control of Voltron. She is the key to seizing the universe once and for all."

He squinted, a smile playing. "Was that an intentional pun?"

The doors opened to the bridge, and she whispered, "I was hoping you'd catch it."

Haggar turned slowly, her new black coat billowing over her shoulders. "Lotor."

"Mother."

Kaia smiled.

If the witch felt anything, she failed to show it. "New developments have spurred my plan into unexpected developments. If we wish to regain the galaxy, and more, we must act soon." She walked down the stairs, whipping through blueprints and galactic maps as she spoke. "General Ranveig's unfortunate refusal to enlist in our fight resulted in the destruction of his command. It is with these resources we must work to eliminate Voltron once and for all."

"At our last meeting, Voltron was of no concern."

"It would be, if its leader had changed. However, the paladins which defeated us a month ago are back in command, with the Blue Paladin as their leader."

"We have already established Lance's increasing ability as the leader of Voltron. How does this concern us?"

"All their supporters have recently departed on a mission to deep space, deep into the heart of nothingness where they will find accordingly. However, Voltron is vulnerable at this time, as well as closing in on Jastar. If we do not act quickly, not only will Voltron continue to oppose us, but their power will increase tenfold."

"They cannot enter Jastar."

"The Red Paladin holds the key," Haggar said, to which Kaia snickered. "The mistake would be to underestimate them. We must attack with our finest weapon, attacking their emotions instead of the lions."

"You continue to be evasive. If you wish to enlist my help, you ought to reveal your plans outright."

Haggar stood only a few feet in front of him. "Your part, should you accept it, is to intercept the original team and ensure they never return."

"They shall be destroyed."

"No. Not with firepower."

"I fail to see-"

"I will train you in the arts of alchemy." She waved her hand in the air, a swirling seam of black light following her trail. "With this power, you shall gain control of their leader, their navigator, and the ship. You shall lead them into a death trap of their own doing, so their destruction cannot be traced back to us."

He straightened his back. "The last occasion I attempted to master the art of alchemy, I was thrown forcefully out of the sanctuary."

"It is a lie, that sanctuary. It provides no power, only healing. I shall show you how to truly wield Altean power to its full potential. Even I have only begun to skim the surface."

Lotor glanced at Kaia, eyebrow raised. Turning back to Haggar, he dropped to one knee, arm across his chest in Galran fashion. "I would be honored to learn from you. Truly, no other in the universe begins to match to your marvelous power."

N

The five half-Galrans stood in silence the whole elevator ride to the bottom hangers. Despite their common interests, standing to face each other, and the uncommonly slow elevator, they refused to make eye contact. Kaia stared at the ceiling, Lotor closed his eyes, and the three generals crossed their arms, eyes downcast. Ezor lifted her head, lips pressed tightly together. "So I guess congratulations are an order?"

"Ezor," Acxa snapped.

"What? They're engaged. I think it's kind of cute. It's not every day you see two young lovers traversing the galaxy, pretending to not want to touch each other every other minute."

"Is all love physical for you?" Aria met her eyes, hands folded in front of her torso. "Or maybe you're so starved for it because your mother didn't want some bastard Galra infecting her household."

"The day we were born, our mothers threw us in the streets, knowing we would be the tragedy leading to their downfalls," Acxa spoke for them all.

"And that you have brought."

"Come now, darling." Lotor put his arm around her waist. "We were once nothing more."

"And it took us no time to rise above it. How sad, that you cannot choose a side of your own."

Zethrid stepped forward, puffing out her chest. "I'd rather have no idea what I believe then caught up in a lie."

"Oh, I don't know. I wouldn't know what uncertainty feels like." The elevator doors opened, and Kaia pushed beside her. "I agreed to work with Haggar, not all of you. You should know your place." She paused and turned to Lotor, caressing his cheek. "I know you have a soft spot for them, but they're weak."

"Quite the contrary." He lifted his chin in their direction, as they stood in a triangle formation like a boy band. "They betrayed me without batting an eye. They are more survivors, more ruthless, than you would do to forget."

Kaia squinted. "I don't have time to worry about a bunch of weaklings." She stalked away.

Lotor faced his former generals, hands clasped behind his back, a smile on his face. Acxa shook her head. "I know what you're trying to do, and it's not going to work. We've trusted you before, and we know where that ends up. We fight for ourselves, and we're not going to be swayed by your flattery."

He tilted his head. "Is it that obvious?"

"You never change, Lotor." She brushed past him, her sisters at her sides.

"And neither do you. You pour your love into futile sources that will never repay."

"Hold your tongue."

"Oh, I don't mean them." Ezor and Zethrid didn't look too happy about being referred to in the third person. "You will learn. You all will." He hurried after Kaia.

Zethrid shifted from one foot to another. "Should we be worried about him?"

"No. That's his play, to get us on edge. He doesn't have any more tricks up his sleeve. And when he does, it'll be obvious enough. We'll protect each other."

N

"Your majesty," Haggar addressed the boy on her bridge, on his knees, a cloth sack over his head. She gave a fake, curt bow. "I do apologize for the way you have been treated this past month, but now that we have our affairs in order, you will receive the offer you have eagerly awaited.

"You'd love to believe that, wouldn't you?" He yelled, muffled. A guard ripped the sack off his head, and he trembled. Sweat soaked from head to foot. "I want nothing to do with you. You are my enemy."

"But there is one who is more of an enemy to you than I," she reminded him with a sly smile on her lips. "Let me recall. How was your planet destroyed?"

"The paladins of Voltron failed to save it."

"And who stopped you?"

"That inferior black paladin."

"Would you like nothing more than to destroy him, tearing him limb from limb?" She put an arm around his shoulder, rubbing his back. "Despite who the opportunity came from?"

He blinked. "I-I don't know."

"Come, your majesty. This is the opportunity you have been waiting for."

He shook his head. "I am a prince."

"Not without a kingdom, you aren't. Prince Kaedos Bahnschrift, you are deserving of a kingdom, to rule, and Voltron took it away from you. They had no right, and now you are without a home and a kingdom. Let me help you."

Kay relaxed. "What do you want me to do?"


	50. Chapter 50 - Two Steps Backward

Chapter 50 - Two Steps Backward

Lance rose early the next morning to train. They'd landed the Castle of Lions on Alverion around one in the morning, according to their time. He assumed it was around six or seven in the morning, as the sun just peeked over the wasteland, which had begun to show signs of vegetation and scampering marsh rabbits. However, he had little time to admire the scenery. He knew Shiro and Keith were wrong by leaving, but until they returned, he had to be the leader, and he had to be the best.

 _Back to the drawing board._

"Welcome, Master Lance."

Lance jumped, and rightly so. The British voice had come from the speakers, quite different from the lady's voice which mechanically governed the levels. He spun around, eyes fixated on the ceiling. "Who's there?"

He saw Jesse's head pop up on the bridge, as the boy screeched. "It worked!"

"Did you make this?"

Jesse disappeared, followed by faint, rapid footsteps, until the floor doors opened, and he hurried across the floor. "Okay, so I was working on this thing last night because I was super stressed and whatnot, just something to help us train, because you can't always be in here giving us tips on how to get better."

"I don't follow." _Partly due to sleep deprivation, partly due to being the team's idiot._

"I made this software that can analyze us when we're fighting and give us tips on how to get better. It also keeps track of our levels and links previous levels with current ones to practice and apply techniques in less stressful environments. Also, I'm working on an immersive experience so we can get the feel of being in a battle, with scenery and everything. It should help when we're about to do a fight on an unknown environment."

"That's neat." He looked up and waved. "Hey, how're you doing today?"

"Excellent, thank you for your inquiry."

Lance looked at Jesse with a big smile. "We can call it Alfred, right?"

Jesse snapped. "I'm sure that's some kind of reference to human pop culture, which I would know if I read Will's books on human history and whatnot. Yeah, sure. I'll make it an acronym for something...maybe, Amazing Lecturer, Friend, Rector, Endgame Document?" He shook his head. "I'll work on it."

"It's great. It'll make training a lot easier." He tilted his head. "Have you slept?"

"Sleep is for the weak. And I, I am very weak."

"Jess."

"I couldn't sleep last night. Don't know why. I'm sure it's not a big deal."

Lance decided to hold his tongue. Jesse could easily bring up his own awful coping mechanisms, though that wasn't in his yellow paladin's character. He looked up. "Did Caden help you out with it?"

He huffed. "Caden could've made this stuff in five minutes flat, not that he'd care to."

"I'm sure he'd've loved to work on it with you."

"He doesn't want to do stuff like this. He'd say it's not functional or rightly applicable to society." Jesse rolled his eyes. "I dunno. We never fought like this before we joined Voltron, but maybe we just didn't see our differences before."

"You should talk to him. I know he's not much of a talker, but it'd be better if you'd talk about it now than when you're in a life or death situation and need to trust each other." He turned his bayard into his sniper. "Trust me. Get it off your chest."

"I'm gonna get some sleep deprivation off my chest," Jesse joked, and Lance wondered how many of his poor coping mechanisms had worn off on his paladins. "But...I'll talk to him, sometime. Nah, I'm gonna make a time. Don't let me talk myself out of it when I'm in my right mind."

"Will do." Jesse slowly plod to his room, leaving Lance to look at the ceiling. "Hey, Alfred? Can I work on a sniping exercise?"

"Level thirty-five, commencing. Good luck, sir."

"Thanks. Alfred." He snickered, knowing no others on the ship would understand.

N

Caden stood on the ledge overlooking his world. Wind billowed overhead, and the soft sound of a cloak brushing up against itself echoed down the cliff. He squinted at the rising sun in the East, trying to keep his eyes as open as possible, sure it made him look extra cool. A side glance to his left confirmed Uma looked as cool as Galranly possible. Her hair blew in the wind along with her cloak, and the sun shone on her face just enough to show the gray flecks in her purple eyes, not enough to make her look like she was some kind of squinting dork. He faced forward.

A few moments of sweet silence passed, and he wondered what they meant to her. What went on in another's head, he would never know. He only knew his own thoughts and wouldn't dare to impose his own preconceptions on another being. Jesse was a different story. He always knew what was going on in Jesse's head.

Down below, they could faintly see passing vehicles down below, tiny peoples carrying supplies across the plane from the Castle to the village. The town's first second story building was in motion, to serve as a civil building. He spotted his brother easily among his people, directing supplies and smiling, hands on his hips. He needed sleep.

Uma crossed her arms over her chest. "Things are changing," she quietly remarked.

 _So that's what you're thinking._ "They have."

"We're not the same people we were when we left."

 _What am I supposed to say that doesn't make me sound like a robot?_ "We're not."

"What're you gonna do now?"

He blinked. "Nothing has changed. I still have an obligation to fight as a paladin of Voltron."

She stiffened. "I thought you guys were here to stay, with the Castle being here and everything."

"No. We're just making a pit stop, and delivering some crucial supplies for the village." He clasped his hands behind his back. "Until the universe ceases to have need of Voltron, I'm afraid my predicament will change naught." She pressed her lips together, turning to hike down the mountain. "Uma! What's wrong?"

"All of this. All of this is wrong."

"You'll have to be more specific. I do not understand. I believed you had similar sentiments when you agreed to brood over the city with me."

"You really don't get it, do you?"

"Again, please specify." She didn't look happy with his repetition. He stepped forward and took her hand. "Please. If I have learned anything in my journeys, talk to me. I want to know what's wrong."

She jerked her hand away. "This. This whole thing is wrong." She turned again, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "I don't know what I was expecting, but this isn't it. I thought that you'd be done with Voltron, and maybe we'd be able to live on Alverion, that you wouldn't have to be a paladin, and I wouldn't have to be a blade."

"Isn't that what you want?" He blinked. "I thought you were happy..."

"I am, don't get me wrong. Kroila is an amazing mentor, and it's great to have a Galra that gets me. The blades are great, I just-I wanted this to work."

"It...can."

"No, it can't. Don't you get it? Galra can't be with other species. It just results in more hate and hybrids." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I talk about you so much around Kroila. There was this one time, I was telling her about that one time in the caves, remember? When you and I pretended we were pirates, and Jesse was this military general, until my father called us inside."

He smiled. "You were wearing his military garb, but it was too big. You looked like a real pirate."

"Kroila just smiled, and told me to go on. For the longest time, I knew in my heart that my father would never let me have a relationship with you, or anyone we knew, for that matter. It would be a disgrace for a Galran Officer's daughter to fall in love with a Alverian."

"But things are different now."

"Are they? Maybe for you and me, who have lived change. Maybe for Kroila, who is a living example of how things should be. Maybe even for Lotor. Maybe things could've been different, but things are still so much the same." She bit her lip. "I thought, maybe, if you could focus on our relationship and changing the universe's minds about interracial relationships, it might be okay. But maybe some things are never meant to change."

"Uma!"

"Please-don't." She backed up. "I hope you find someone you can be with," she told him curtly, and hurried down the mountainside.

He looked back over the mountain. The only true brooding could come with a true matter to brood.

N

"You nervous?"

Ari shook her head. "Why should I be?"

"We might actually find out where you came from. Haven't you ever been crazy curious about that?"

She shook her head. "Not now, not ever."

Will scooted across the couch, taking his hand. "Hey, what's bugging you?"

"Nothing. I'm perfectly fine. Why would anything be wrong?"

"You're doing that thing."

"What thing?"

"That thing where you look down after you say something. It's so subtle, but it means there's something that you want to say but you don't know how people will react." He looked off to the side. "And don't think that's because I watch you like a hawk. I read it in a book, and then V2 was doing it all the time before they left. Hypothesis confirmed."

"You're a scientist now."

"And a philosopher." He interlocked his fingers with hers. "So what's up?"

She took her hand back, holding her head. "I don't want to find my family." She didn't look up. "Because I don't want things to get weird between us. I don't want my entire family to think you're not good enough, or I'm not good enough, and that sounds horrible because you're my best friend, but...I don't know what to expect."

He scooted closer, putting his hand around her shoulders. "Hey, I'm not gonna try to tell you to stop worrying about it. Honestly, some things are big enough that you should worry about it. But, if I can ease some of that stress, I'm gonna stick around no matter what they think of me. If you ever want me to leave, I will. But until you give me that signal, you're stuck with me."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "I never thought I'd have something like this."

He smiled. "Me neither."


	51. Chapter 51 - Area, Alien

Chapter 51 - Area, Alien

Once again, they weaved through the business of Haza, avoiding the pickpockets, one of which who actually tried to dig his hand down Will's armor and find something of value. Instead, he ended up with a broken arm, leaving a bright smile on Ari's face.

She had his back, for his mind was preoccupied. Will weaved through the bustling city, eyes peeled for his old friend, oldest after Ari. The crowds continued despite it all, and after stopping once to question a dealer he used to...deal with. He refused to give any accurate details.

Lance paid a visit to Bona while the others went to find the friend.

He nearly backed out when he walked in. The caked dirt on the floor was nowhere in sight, the windows were washed and had brilliant posters on the glass advertising antique items, and the plants lining the front counter were trimmed and growing greener. Bona smiled serenely when she saw him and waved him over as she finished with one of five customers he counted in the shop.

"It seems the presence of such loud customers attracted attention. After you departed, I had six whole people enter my shop! And it remained that way until I closed." She clasped her hands together. "Business hasn't been this bustling in decapheebs. I'm delighted."

"I'm glad you're doing well."

"After so many years, I didn't think much could surprise me more, yet my antiques seem to be all the rage. Perhaps it will be a new fad, to look into the old in pursuit of new fashions." She looked him in the eye. "Which, I suppose, is why you are here."

"We're going to look for that planet you talked about, Jastar. I thought I'd stop in and see how you were doing."

She waved her hand. "I am well, as always."

He looked off to the side. "Are-are you immortal?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You just...seem old."

"Thank you. And in answer to your question, I have a story spanning some three vargas."

"I don't really have that kind of time right now, but I will definitely come back and listen sometime."

"Excellent." She gingerly shook his hand. "I eagerly look forward to your arrival."

N

Deca rode with Lance.

"So I've known Ari and Will for about six years now, and you know when you see two people and you just _know_ they're destined for each other, and maybe they won't realize it until they're in other relationships, and they realize that they're in love with their best friend, and it's super awkward for ANOTHER six years, and then their relationships are sabotaged because they'll never really be able to give their love to another person, and they end up kissing under a starlit sky and getting married three minutes later?"

"Have...you been watching some TV show or something?"

"There's nothing wrong with the portrayal of love on TV! Sure, it may leave out the things about love that are really bad, like completely unrequited love and people that can't take a hint, as well as death and toxic relationships and people that you shouldn't be around and stuff, I mean, maybe SOME of it does, but really, ALL of it should, because it's more likely that you'll get caught up in something bad than good, right?"

"Seems like it."

"So I don't know. Point it, I just want to personally thank you for getting these two together. I wish I could've seen it! Right there on the heat of battle, kissing under explosions in the sky. Does it feel like you're in the three minutes? Have they picked a date out yet? WILL! You would've told me if you'd picked a date yet, right?"

The line was silent for a moment. "Deca, this is really uncomfortable. Me and Ari's relationship isn't perfect."

"Of course it is!"

"Not...really. We still disagree on stuff, even things that don't really matter. There was this one time she was convinced tomato was pronounced to-mah-to, which is just some weird thing. And then we have completely different views on family. I'd give anything to see my family, but she couldn't really care less."

"NOPE! Change my mind. Y'all aren't compatible."

"See, that's it, though. Even if we don't agree on everything, I still love her, because we work through them. We came to the conclusion that tomato can be pronounced two different ways, and our families are very different."

"Whatever."

"Have you ever been in a relationship?"

"PLEASE. You don't need to be in a relationship to be the EXPERT!" Deca whipped his head around dramatically. "And now that we've heard his side, let's hear hers!"

"Her coms are off, Deca," Will told him.

"Whatever. But if your relationship crashes and burns, don't come to me."

Lance looked down at his control pad, seeing all the coms working and open. He smiled. "Alright, stay sharp. We're coming up on a nearby planet."

"Do we have time to stop?" Will asked.

"We'll need some directions. Jastar is apparently difficult to find, even with Voltron's advanced scanners. We could use some expert help."

"Alrighty tighty. Want me to inform the others?"

"I'll take care of it." He closed Will's line. "Y'all heard all that, right?"

"Affirmative," they all responded.

"Awesome." He smiled. "Good work."

"You got a good one, Ari," Jesse told her. "Even though he can be pretty annoying."

"Makes life interesting." Lance couldn't see her, obviously, but he assumed she was blushing. "What's the plan?"

"Get intel on Haggar and Jastar, get some food, and head back out. Two vargas, tops."

N

"Voltron. Welcome to our humble abode. We are the people of Malcharion, the Malcharia."

Ari crossed her arms and turned to Will. "How original," she snidely whispered. He snickered.

"Please, allow us to get you settled."

"I'm afraid we won't be staying long. We have a mission and should get back to it."

"Of course, of course. Perhaps, though, we may interest you in some soothing Malcharion appetizers while we discuss the purpose for your visit."

"Sounds good." Lance turned to his team. "Anybody really wanna stay?"

Will took Ari's hand. "Wanna go on a data?"

She rolled her eyes. "Sure." They ran out of the tent, Caden and Jesse quickly behind them in startling silence.

He turned back to their leader. "We've been tracking down the Galran witch, Haggar. Have you or any of your allies spotted her."

"Yes, in the fourth quadrant."

"Awesome. We'll be on the lookout."

"Of course. Haggar is most dangerous." The man poured a cup of tea. "Here. It soothes the mind."

Lance took a small sip. "Tell me more."

N

"What's up with you?" Jesse said, quickly walking to keep up with his brother. "You haven't been yourself for a while now, and it's bugging me, which normally wouldn't be a big deal, but it's starting to affect everybody else, too. So what's up?"

Caden didn't slow his pace. "Nothing's the matter. If anything troubled me, you would be the first I would turn to."

"Unless you didn't want to tell anyone."

"Like I said. Which I repeat. Nothing is the matter."

"Caden-"

"Would you leave me alone for once?" Caden wrenched his hand free and bolted down the street. Jesse stood for a moment, hand still outstretched. He let his brother go.

N

"Look at that guy. He's pretty funny looking."

Ari snickered. "Looks like an earthworm."

"But with legs!"

"Ooh! That one's from here. I wonder why they have gills."

"Let's ask." Will pounced over, despite Ari's insistence. "Hi, my name's Will, I'm a paladin of Voltron, this is my colleague, Ari, who flies the red paladin-I mean lion-and is also my beautiful girlfriend, and I was just wondering why you have gills?"

Ari squeezed Will's hand, yet simultaneously wanted to smack him.

The fortune teller poured them both tea, explaining it was alright to ask such outright questions. "We Malcharion inhale special particles from the atmosphere. It is how we communicate with the planet. Planets share a special connection through their unique quintessence, and can easily see into other times and realities."

"Neat." He started to get up, but Ari pulled him down. "What's up?"

"What does the planet see for us?"

Will turned fifteen shades of red. "Wh-what?"

She looked him right in the eye. "If you want, I want to be with you forever. I want to know what that looks like."

He blushed an additional ten shades. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. I know who I want."

Will kissed her hands. "Alright then." He turned to her. "This is the best day of my life." The Malcharion, who held each of their hands in hers, looked startled. "Are you okay? Do you need some water? Or tea, or something? I don't really know what you need to stay healthy."

She shook her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She sniffed. "I just-I haven't seen such a beautiful relationship in quite some time. You both-you are beautiful. You shall have a long and healthy relationship. Savor it."

N

Lance looked down at his arm. "It's been almost two vargas. I'm sorry, but I've got to go."

"Have you asked all your questions?"

"Just one more. Do you know where Jastar is?"

"Indeed I do. The eighth quadrant."

His eyes widened. "That's where Haggar is." He picked up his helmet. "Thank you, so much. Your honesty has put us forward so much." He bit his tongue. That sentence didn't make sense.

At the front tent flap, the leader spoke. "Oh, my words were not honest. Not completely."

He turned. "Huh?"

He put his hands on the earth. "Our planet communicates the past, present, and future through a unique particle in the air. We can see all, as the planet sees. Of course, we are limited, but with so many of our kind, we can piece together what the future will look like."

"Which...you told me..."

The Malcharion continued as if the black paladin hadn't spoken. "If we attempted to ratify the entire universe with our abilities, we would wear ourselves and our planet out. Instead of working to save the universe, we have worked to save our planet. So, when we see the past, present, and future, we decide what is best for the rest of the universe to know."

"You...lied to me?"

"That is for you to decipher, no? But the Malcharions are masters of deception. It is our intention for you to never return, and never take advantage of us."

"We wouldn't-"

"No, you wouldn't, black paladin, with a heart of gold. With a team purer than the purest quintessence. However, the rest of the universe is not as forgiving, which is why we will not join the Voltron Coalition."

Lance pressed his lips together. "And you knew I was gonna ask that, because...future vision..."

"You learn quickly."

"Thank you for your help."

"I have not-"

"I mean, my team got to have a break, which we haven't had in a while. It's been pretty nonstop. So thank you, for letting us on your planet. We will do our best to never return." He stepped out of the tent.

The leader stared at the entrance for a bit. He could not believing the events he had just witnessed, for the future could indeed be altered. "Molt your wings, black paladin. May you change well."


	52. Chapter 52 - Unstable

Chapter 52 - Unstable

Into the wormhole they flew, in perfect formation. Lance turned, looking over his shoulder at Deca. "Look familiar?"

"I've only ever seen it in pictures," he gaped, "it's more beautiful in real life."

"And dangerous."

"Uh huh."

The area where a star once sat now swirled with rock and light coming from empty space itself. All possible colors came together to make brilliant rainbows, converging to white light. He could see a main platform of black rock stretching into the horizon, glistening under the pure light. He could see streaks of silver as they raced past, heading straight towards the wall of pure light. Interestingly enough, as they neared the brilliant wall of light, they didn't get hotter or cooler. It was neutral.

He could hear Caden's soft breath close to the microphone. "It's...beautiful. It's like nothing I've ever seen before."

"How have we never heard of this before?" Jesse asked.

"It's hidden." Deca crossed his arms. "It doesn't show up on any galactic maps as anything other than one big star. According to legend, it used to be a planet, one big planet, inside the star, and only those worthy can enter. But that's silly."

"Maybe not. It could be scientifically proven that stars do contain quintessence, and planets, too, so they might be subconsciously working together, or one controlling the other, to make it so only select people can enter. It's entirely possible, especially with some particularly magical species we've seen."

Deca squinted. "That was a lot of science, and this is where I take my leave." He put a hand on Lance's shoulder. "It's good to know that Ari and Will are in such good hands. And though you're probably taking my best man spot, I still want an invitation to the wedding. Good luck with your mission."

Lance looked over his shoulder. "Want me to take you back to Haza?"

"Nah. If you can just drop me off at these coordinates," he slid a piece of paper in front of Lance, "I have a mutual that'll be stopping by there. We talked about it beforehand."

"Sounds like a plan. You got a jetpack?"

"Uh huh."

"Sounds good. See you later, man."

"You too."

Deca quickly made his departure through a person-sized wormhole, leaving the paladins to land on the plateau and puzzle out the phenomenon.

Caden worked alone, juggling three instruments. Jesse, Ari, and Will stood their distance (rightly so), but Lance took one and helped him out. "What are we looking at?"

"Crazy readings. I made this one to track quintessence in planets and stars to target which ones the Galra might attack next, and this place is making it go crazy. This is the highest I've ever seen it." He looked up at the wall of light. "Mostly from there, but it's not consolidated. It's...moving."

"Something's inside?"

"Lots of somethings." Caden handed Lance his, a green screen with millions of white blobs moving around, all different sizes. "I can't see what's behind that wall. Maybe it's all the dastine that's corrupting my sensors."

"The metal?"

Caden nodded and pointed at the silver streaks. "It's the same stuff Ari's key is made of. Bona was right, it's pretty much identical to titanium, expect for one little factor: it's only made here, where there's massive amounts of quintessence floating around. It's like it's semi-sentient."

"Like Voltron?"

"The same idea, but not as powerful. Just...slightly. For building little things."

"A mini-Voltron." They laughed, and Lance looked behind him, where the other three chatted nervously. "You okay?"

"I'm doing what I love."

He took a breath. "Listen, I don't know what went on, but you need to talk to Jesse."

"He's being completely irrational and ought to be apologizing to me."

"I didn't tell you to apologize." Caden froze, and Lance put his hand over his shoulder. "Ari and I are probably gonna be the ones to go in there, but I want you guys to stay out here and guard."

Caden snorted. "Against what?"

Lance ignored that. "While you're out here, I want you and Jesse to talk."

He knew better than to talk back to his leader, like he would even consider dissing his hero. He knew Lance was right. "Okay. But you guys have to be quick."

"I don't plan on staying here long." Lance motioned to the others, and they walked to the wall of light. "Here's the plan. Ari and I are going to investigate, and I want the rest of you to stand guard. See if you can get some more intel on this dastine stuff, and the system. This place has a history, and if we knew it, we'd be better off."

"Roger than," Will said, staring off into the stars.

Jesse raised his hand. "Can I come with you and Ari?"

"No. Ari?" He motioned forward, and he followed behind her, leaving two frowning twins and a mindless boy. Ari paused for a moment, running back to give Will a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Lance never once broke stride, and they continued towards the light.

As they neared, they could see the outline of a glorious door. I seemed to be lined with pure gold, but it shined and glistened on its own, completely unphased by the light surrounding it. It shone itself, not reflecting, and brightened the lime green color of the door. In the middle was a silver-looking handle, though Lance guessed it wasn't actually silver. He brushed his fingertips against it. The metal was warm.

Ari grasped the key in her hand, tossing it up in the air a couple times. "That weird lady said it goes back to its owner."

"You."

"I've never seen this before." She took a step back. "Maybe you should just go in."

"Hey." He took a knee, putting a hand on her shoulder (still, he was only a head or so shorter). "What are you scared of?"

"I don't want things to change," she quietly remarked. He let the silence stretch for a couple moments. "For the longest time, I'd just been some apathetic idiot, and I didn't even know it. But being a part of something bigger than myself changed that. I don't-I don't know." She looked back down at it. "I have no idea what's in there. What if I come out wishing I hadn't gone in?"

"I get that." He looked to the left, where a pink and purple nebula swirled a couple light years away. "Back on Earth, my brother and sisters and I were the best. Top notch. We thought we were the kings of the city, and we were right, in a way. Sometimes I'm scared out of my mind to go back, because things won't be the same. Like when Keith pilotted the Black Lion. I didn't know how to follow someone different."

Ari waited.

"It'll be different, I won't lie to you. Everything we do changes our present reality." He frowned. "A little someone with a lot of arms taught us that. But if that stops us from moving forward, we'll just move backward."

"But we still don't know what's gonna happen."

"No, we don't. But I promise you that no matter what's in there, we're gonna be here supporting you."

"You don't know that."

"I know I will."

She paused for a moment, glancing back down at the key. She took a deep, deep breath. "Okay then."

"Whenever you're ready."

Ari stuck the key in the hole, turning it with a sharp jab. Together, they each pushed the doors open and stepped inside to a bright reality. As their eyes adjusted, they could see green hills, a blue ocean in the distance, and bright yellow wildflowers growing on the spaces. Lance's lungs tightened, and he could feel himself choking. Ari looked over. "Are you okay?"

"It...it looks like Earth."

Ari blinked. "It's beautiful."

"I know."

"Ari?" The both turned to the right, where stood a middle aged woman with graying red hair. She held a basket in her hand filled halfway with the yellow wildflowers, roots and all. She dropped the basket and clapped her hands over her mouth. Tears squeezed out of her eyes. "Is it really you?"

"Do I...know you?"

"No, no. You wouldn't. You were just a child." The woman stepped forward and put a wet hand against Ari's cheek.

Lance looked back at the vast plains. It felt so familiar.

Ari activated her bayard, holding an arrow at the ready, pointing down. "Who are you?"

"Ariana."

She blinked.

"I'm your aunt. Aunt Elise."

They both froze.

"You're home."


	53. Chapter 53 - Home

Chapter 53 - Home

The woman held Ari's hand as they slowly walked down the mountainside. They began to see oak trees along with birch growing in the valley. Huge buildings in the distance peeked over from a hidden valley, brightly colored to match the sky at sunset. Lance turned slightly to see the world continue behind them, a black door where they had come through. He gulped.

Aunt Elise hadn't let go of Ari's hand since they'd stepped through the door, and Ari hadn't said a word since they'd arrived. She surveyed the world with tight, closed lips. Lance wondered what was going on in her head. Not that she'd let on. Hardly any emotion had passed on her face since she'd discovered her previously nonexistent aunt right next to the contained rift they'd come through.

Lance hurried to walk beside her. "What is this place?"

"This is Earth. Or, it is a replica. It is our Earth, I suppose. Did you know Earth simply means dirt? I don' know who would have the audacity to name such a magnificent planet something so boring. It would be similar to naming a Balmera 'rock.' Can you imagine? Did you know that Balmera means 'life-giver'? If only our ancestors had been so creative. Don't worry." She hooked her niece's arm. "We'll make up for it."

Ari yanked her arm away and kept walking. "Where are you taking me?" She asked in an apathetic tone.

Aunt Elise blinked and looked down. "I am taking you to our family's village. My brother will be overjoyed to see you." She touched her arm, but again, Ari moved back. "Your...father."

"Sure." Ari looked forward. "Let's get this over with."

N

"How LONG have they been in there?" Will asked, pacing the rock. He crossed his arms over his chest, whining under his breath. "I'm just saying it seems like it's been, like, an hour, and I don't think it's wise to let them just stay in there. We all know Lance would probably die heroically and Ari would probably let him, throw him a stick of dynamite while he's at it, and then SHE'D die because she's just the same." He threw his hands in the air. "Are you guys even listening?"

Jesse glanced at Caden, then at Will. "Sorry. I'm a bit preoccupied trying to do the one thing Lance asked us to do while he's gone.

Caden smirked. "Yeah, and your question seems SOOOOO important right now. Time is just a construct of the imagination for finite beings to understand something as infinite as the construct of time. Honestly, if you had any respect for how the universe is formed, you would just leave Lance and Ari alone, giving them enough time to figure out whatever is in there that the universe apparently wants Ari to find out." He examined a silver shard. "Or whatever this metal is."

"I wonder how Haggar got a hold of it," Jesse wondered absentmindedly.

"Why don't you find that out?" Caden snapped.

"Woah." Will sat between them. "What's up with you two?"

"Stay out of it," the twins agreed. The glared.

Caden tossed a shard into space, watching it float higher and higher, slowly bouncing back to the plateau. "There's some kind of gravitational force in it, but not enough for a whole planet. I wouldn't be surprised if every planet has bits of this floating around in a mercury core. Y'know, those with gravity."

"Or maybe we shouldn't use every new discovery to explain a concept that has already been explained over and over again by scientists who are a lot smarter than you."

Caden scowled, crossing his legs. "Just trying to be helpful."

"And you're doing _such_ a great job."

"Guys," Will begged, wishing even harder for his black and red backup. "How long have they been in there?"

Jesse glanced at an instrument. "Seems like...a week."

"A WEEK?"

"Like I said, idiot. Time is a construct of the imagination."

"Don't call him that," Jesse said through gritted teeth.

"It's baby stuff."

"For astrophysicists."

"Whatever." Caden rolled his eyes. "When you're around this much quintessence, time just blurs. It's like our bodies are asleep, only we're conscious. It's even worse for Lance and Ari. A minute for them is an hour for us, a week for the rest of the universe."

"UMMMM-"

"Don't soil your armor. I've been in contact with the rest of the Coalition. If anything happens, we'll know and can make sure they're taken care of. Haggar hasn't been heard from since the gala, and we have allies everywhere. Honestly, this discovery occurred right on schedule."

"Didn't know we had a schedule for scientific breakthroughs," Jesse said wonderingly as he stared at a shard.

"There is a schedule, if you're bright enough to see it," Caden snapped.

Jesse rolled his eyes. "That's not what I mean. Look at this." The boys all leaned in to see. "I think I figured out what the Galra used to use this stuff for. It's the same metal that Shiro has in his arm."

"The first black paladin?"

"Second," Caden corrected.

"Anyway. The point is that if we can track where Shiro was during that year in space, we might be able to find where Haggar stored the rest of it. If she's accessed it since then, we might be able to get a clue."

"And if we can't?"

"Then this trip is useless, and Lance and Ari better hurry up in that rift."

"What happens if you're in a rift too long?"

"Well, if you're in there for a year of regular universe time, even though time is a useless construct and past and present merge together seamlessly, your own quintessence begins to merge with that of the environment, and not only do you want to stay longer to soak up all the power, but you begin to corrupt. That's what happened with Zarkon."

"And Haggar," Will said quietly.

"You're just saying all that time stuff to make yourself sound smart even though you're completely wrong," Caden argued.

"Guys. Shiro?"

"Right." Caden pulled up his computer and typed obsessively. "I'll just busy myself doing something actually useful: contacting V2 and seeing if they can access some of Shiro's repressed memories. Y'all just gonna stand there and look pretty?"

Jesse stood, a frown on his face. "C'mon, Will. We wanna be ready to go right when Lance gets out. Help me get some samples?"

"Sure."

N

Ari stepped through the door alone, where inside sat a table full of redheads, some more aged than others. They sat at a round table covered in a forest green tablecloth, the edges lined with golden tassels that draped off the edge. Huge tapestries weaving battle scenes alongside scientific discoveries and artistic achievements decorated the walls, some of them she recognized at the table. The walls, dark spruce, rose two stories high, with a chandelier hosting lit candles hanging at the top. Her eyes followed the black chain back to the ground, holding it in place.

She wished Lance were at her side, but her Aunt Elise had insisted she needed to do this on her own. Ari wondered if this were all real, or just a construct of her imagination. Perhaps the real Lance was somewhere outside her mind, floating nearby, trying desperately to wake her up. He'd probably already gotten out of his own delusions, but here she was, stuck in a reality she hoped and dreaded at the same time. _I should go_ -

A glass shattered on the floor, and the echo carried to the top of the hall. Heads swivelled to the noise, coming from a man standing at the head of the table. His eyes moistened, and he pushed a fluff of bright red hair out of his eyes. His gaze fixated on her, and everyone else followed. They gaped along with him.

"Ariana?"

She gulped, refusing to look him in the eye. She nodded.

"Do you know who I am?"

"I guess you're my dad," she said bitterly.

He held a hand to the woman next to him, with equally red hair. She stood, her eyes equally red and wet. They walked towards her, arms outstretched. Just before they enveloped her in a hug, Ari dashed back, reaching for her bayard. "This isn't real."

"Ariana," the woman choked.

"It's Ari," she snapped, "and you're all just in my head. This isn't real."

"Why can't it be real?"

"Because. My parents are gone. They left me."

"Ari." Her mother took her hand. "We didn't leave you. We were killed."

She blinked. "If you're so dead, how are you here?"

"We can explain everything, but please. Let's make some tea and sit down. Council!" The men and women at the table stood on guard. "Leave us." They gathered their things and departed.

Her father, unable to stop himself, reached forward and touched her hair. "You're really here. You found us."

"I don't understand," she snapped. But she didn't retract.

"This is our home. It's made in the image of our home, Earth."

"Lance told me."

"Lance?" She tilted her head. "Who is this?"

"He's my leader. And if you're going to explain everything, he's gonna be here." They hesitated. "I would die, kill, and live for him. Simultaneously." She met their gaze. "He's coming in."

Her mother nodded at a guard at the door. "Do let our guest in. We have much to discuss."


	54. Chapter 54 - Difference Maker

Chapter 54 - Difference Maker

Will looked up from piling piles of the dastine into careful containers. He took a deep breath. "How long has it been now?"

"Three weeks regular time, three hours for us, maybe thirty minutes for them." Jesse sighed, going back to his work. "This should be enough."

"I'm sorry for asking so often." Will tallied up in his head. Sixth time asking? That seemed right. "I'm just worried. It's honestly kind of weird that you're not. Lance is our leader, after all, and he's been in there...thirty minutes."

"He'll be fine. They've still got time."

"Are you sure the rest of the universe is okay?"

"That'd be a Caden question. But I'm pretty sure that if something was up, he'd let us know."

"You sure?" Jesse didn't respond. "What's going on between you two?"

"I honestly don't know. He's been cold since we got back to doing Voltron stuff, which he loves to do, and things just got weird after the original team left. And then he lost it at the last planet and won't even tell me why." He slammed a container on the ground. "But if he doesn't want to be around people, I'm not gonna argue. And I'm not gonna try to talk to him here."

"Not like we're doing a ton more."

"Being around this much raw quintessence is messing with our heads. It'll amplify every emotion until we're bombarded with more than we were made to handle." He glanced over. "I actually thought you'd be losing your mind faster than me in him, since you and Ari are a thing."

Will shrugged. "It's nice, actually. I love her, she loves me, and yeah, I'm worried about her, but she's a good fighter and can stand on her own. I know she'll be okay. Don't know if she thinks that about me-probably not-but I'm not worried a ton. I just miss her." He kicked a rock. "Wish they'd hurry up. It'll be my birthday soon."

"Shh."

He scowled. "You don't have to-"

"No, _shh_." He stuck his hand on Will's mouth effectively, and they listened to echoing from caverns. A rock wall outstretched in the distance, loud cataclysms coming from inside. Jesse motioned behind. "C'mon. Let's investigate."

They jetpacked to the wall, slowing when they reached the entrance. Through the gray light, they could see black shapes with drills carving into black rock, tearing out the silver streaks. One in particular stood above them all, one with light purple skin and black hair, lime green streaks. Jesse and Will slumped over against the wall.

"I recognize her," Will whispered. "She's one of Lotor's people. I-think they had a thing?"

"Not an important detail right now," he told him. "We've gotta stop them."

"Wait." Will put his hand across Jesse's chest, silently pointing to patrols of druids circling the miners. "We gotta get out of here."

"For once, I agree with you." They ran away as fast as their legs would carry them, using the mountain as cover, the clouds of quintessence covering them. "We gotta tell Caden about this."

N

"When Earth was still young, only decades old, we received visitors from another planet. They had triangle marks under their eyes and called themselves Alteans." Lance and Ari glanced at one another with wide eyes yet didn't dare to interrupt. "They established diplomatic relations with us, yet admitted we should take time to develop as a society ourselves. Humanity-we were born."

Mr. Schuttmann took over. "They were especially fascinated with a group of humans with brilliant red hair. While all humans were unique, these humans-us-were especially equipped to be defenders. While they already had Voltron in place to defend the universe, they needed trustworthy guards to keep Voltron safe while the paladins attended to other business."

"When Zarkon arose in vicious power, the cycle began. King Alfor entrusted his family of ten or so redheaded humans with protecting Voltron. For ten thousand years, our family has stopped the Galra Empire from acquiring the Voltron lions."

Lance put his hands to his face. "I always though the Galra just couldn't find them."

"Though King Alfor intended to, the Galra Empire expanded about as fast as the universe. He found them, over and over again, and every time, our family protected the lions, flying them to the outreaches of the universe, hidden again, until Zarkon discovered them again."

"And when Voltron was reformed?" She asked.

"We were no longer needed. We intended to reunite with Coran and reveal our intentions, finally safe from the treachery. Your father and I were so close, on Haza when Voltron was only a star system away, when Lotor found us."

"We didn't know, but he'd been tracking our family all that time, seeking to destroy us so he could reclaim Voltron for himself. We don't know what he intended to do from that point. We never got the chance."

"We did all we could to hide you from him. So long as a Schuttmann lives, Voltron will be safe."

Mrs. Schuttmann took Ari's hand. "Is it? Is Voltron safe?"

She snorted. "I hope so. I'm the red paladin."

They both looked surprised, yet pleased. "So the red lion has chosen a Schuttmann?" He pointed to Lance. "And you are the black paladin?" Lance nodded and stood with him. They shook hands. "You are quite the qualified leader. Thank you for continuing our work."

"No problem."

"So how are you all here?"

"The Alteans realized we sacrificed much to guard the lions, so King Alfor worked with a team of brilliant alchemists to create this place, our Earth. All our descendents, upon death, come here for another five hundred years. We have peace and security in this place."

"Ari." Her mother moved to her side of the couch. "I know this is a lot to process. But...you can stay."

She blinked. "Stay?"

"You and your black paladin. You crossed over rightfully with your key, and you can merge with our culture. Even those marred with us by matrimony come here, and their descendants, though only those who carry the red hued hair are considered worthy enough to protect Voltron, and they carry the Schuttmann name."

"You, darling," her mother confirmed. "You are a true Schuttmann."

N

"Caden!" Will shouted, running up to the feet of the blue lion. "You've gotta see this."

"Oh, _wow_ , did you find more silver metal? While you were doing that I was trying to get in contact with the original team, who have somehow all mysteriously disappeared in the hour you were gone. Now that we've wasted a whole month of regular time and Lance has officially been in there for twenty minutes to an hour, I'm starting to think that you guys just don't care about our leader anymore."

"What's that even supposed to mean?" Jesse yelled.

"Guys! Caden, there's a bunch of druids and miners that-a-way. They're mining up the ore."

"Did you stop them?"

"There were too many."

"They're probably gone now," Jesse mumbled, turning away. "We had a chance to stop her."

"You would've just died," Caden snapped.

"You saying I can't fight them off?"

"Guys if you don't stop, I swear, I'm gonna ship you off to Haza where you can fight off your differences." He looked to the white mist. "C'mon Lance, we need you."

N

They stood outside the door, twenty minutes later. "Are you sure you must go?"

"The universe needs Voltron." she gave them quick hugs. "And I'll see you again. Y'know, when I die."

"That you will." He stroked her hair, then turned to shake Lance's hand again. "Thank you for taking such good care of my daughter. I believe we will see you here again?"

"No, not me." He and Ari shared a glance. "But someone."

"We're not married," Ari mumbled, turning redder than her hair.

"I trust you have chosen a worthy mate." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Though, his name?"

She blushed more. "Will. He's a human. Blond hair. Kind of an idiot, but he's the best one I know."

He kissed her forehead. "You will do well." Before she stepped through the door, Ari threw the key down the hillside. "One more thing, daughter. It may do you well to look into a character called the Motley."

"The what now?"

"The Motley. He is a man prophesied to us and the Alteans since the creation of Voltron." He bowed slightly and handed her a slip of paper. "I know as much as you, but here are coordinates to one who may be of more help than I. She should still be alive."

She smiled. "See you later."

They walked slowly through the door and into the thick mist. He looked at her. "You okay?"

"Mm hmm. I think." She played with her bayard. "Things are different. I guess I'm someone different."

"It's good, though?"

"I think so. I..." She spotted Will in the distance. "Oh my gosh."

He sat between Caden and Jesse, pushing them apart with all he could. His hair went in every direction. When he spotted her, he jumped up and ran in her direction. They collided in a hug. He stroked her hair and kissed her neck frantically. "I was going crazy. Ohh, I'm so glad to see your face."

She took his hand. "You'll be looking at it for the rest of your life."

"I hope so."

Lance and Will bro-hugged, and he snapped his fingers at Caden and Jesse, who begrudgingly stood. "We've got a lot of work to do. Ari and I saw some pretty unbelievable things in there."

The other three shared a glance. Will laughed nervously. "Trust me, we've got some pretty unbelievable things ourselves."

"Probably more unbelievable than yours," Caden admitted.

"Bet."


	55. Chapter 55 - Lost In Space

Chapter 55 - Lost In Space

 **Week 1**

Shiro stood in front of his team, arms crossed. "Alright, team. I know we went over this yesterday, but it's crucial that we execute this perfectly. What happens first."

"Allura, Matt, and I jetpack into the planet's main stations, and we work to disable their security systems." Pidge adjusted her glasses. "I'll quickly run their history through my systems and see if I can get any intel on their planet that can help us out, as well as reactivate any defense systems that the Galra may have disabled."

"Thank you, next?"

"You and I head down to the surface and try to draw the fight to the sky. If there's any big cruisers that follow us, we'll need to take out their main cannons so the majority of our fleet can fly in without resistance." Keith looked like he was itching to get in a cockpit again.

"And then?"

Hunk raised his hand. "It's me, I'm next. I'll meet you and Keith down on the surface with the rest of the fleet and fight off anybody else. And then you and Keith are gonna head inside and tell those bad guys to surrender or join. Surrender _and_ join. That's an important conjunction, heh." He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "But that's your part. So."

"Thanks, Hunk." Shiro put his hands on his hips. "We've been scouting this planet for a week now. It'll be a win, but don't let it get out of hand. Stick to the plan." He put his hand on a console, the screens lighting up. He motioned to Hunk, who took his place. "Get to your stations. We're moving in."

N

"Pidge! What are you _doing_?"

"I'm getting the system open."

"That's not how you do it!"

"Yes it is. I've been working with systems like this for three years now. I think I'd know how to use them. You've been dead."

Matt put his hand on his heart. "That's just hurtful. I've been working with them too, you know. You need to-"

"Guys!" Shiro's voice came through the coms. "We're about to move in. Are the defences down?"

Allura touched her ear. "We're almost there, if these two would do their jobs instead of bickering constantly."

"Hurry up. I don't want to get in there and have to deal with that. We don't want anyone to get hurt."

N

"Keith! You're flying outside the border."

"I'm fine." He kept his eyes focused on his target, thumb hovering over the button.

"You're right in the line of their fire!"

"I was the best pilot at the Garrison, and I'm the best pilot out here." He blasted through a cruiser, and it exploded into oblivion. He sharply turned to the left and nosedived back to the planet, ignoring the fire outside his cockpit. "See? I had it. Let's get down and finish this."

N

Shiro stepped into the back, where the team sat. They cleaned weapons, chatted absentmindedly, or stared off into space. "Good work out there today. We had no casualties, and the planet has decided to join the Coalition. Even some of the Galra sympathized with our fight and gave us intel on where we might find other generals, like Sendak. Apparently, he's been seen nearby."

"I was speaking to some of the people. Apparently, they've only been in bondage about a hundred years. This was one of the most recent planets Zarkon conquered before being overthrown by Voltron."

Pidge sipped a juice box. "Speaking of Voltron, this would be a lot easier if they were here."

Shiro nodded. "We can contact them and see if they've defeated Haggar. If so, we might be able to team up and free planets together. Princess, do you still have a map of all the planets that are still occupied?"

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, that information is securely stored in the Castle of Lions. However, I can work with the rebels to recreate an accurate map, so we may more easily plot our course of attack."

"Do that." He looked out into the black space, speeding by at their highest speed. "Get some rest. We'll be working on a new planet next week."

 **Week 2**

Shiro stood at the window, eyes closed. "I didn't sign up for this," he told himself, knowing full well he signed up to be a dad the second he agreed to teach at the Garrison. He opened one eye, glancing at his computer screen. "It's only a couple dobashes after. They probably just slept in. Not that they've all been getting up early for three years and should have been here by now."

The door opened, and Keith nonchalantly walked in, followed by Hunk, who still shoved his foot in a shoe. "I'm sorry I'm late, I slept in and didn't feel like getting up, and then when I was up I was really tired and felt like I couldn't move my muscles. It was pretty bad but I'm here now!" He stood with his hands on his hips, eyes scanning the room. "Where's everybody else?"

"Late." Shiro leaned on the console, crossing his arms. "If we get too late of a start, we'll have to try again tomorrow. This planet's solar movements are faster than Earth's, and we can't afford to attack when it's light."

"So we can do it tomorrow. So what?" Keith helped himself to a bagel that most certainly didn't have his name on it. He took a big bite out of it. "The plan's the same, right? We had it down pat last time."

"Yeah, except for your little stunt with the cruiser."

Keith looked out the window. "I don't see it."

"You had orders to stick to."

"And I made a decision that my gut was a bit more dependable than that," he sassed, immediately scowling at the ground. _Stop it. It's Shiro. He's your brother. Quit._ "And we won," he said to himself, quietly. "It's justified."

If Shiro heard, he made a decision to drop it. "I'm going to check on everyone else. This is unacceptable. Thank you both for being here on time." Though his tone indicated he wasn't much grateful.

N

The battle ended as the sun reached its full peak. Shiro stayed behind for a bit to help clean up the wreckage. Of course, the residents were more than grateful. Finally free, they felt like holding a festival to commemorate the victory and thank the selfless rebels. Simultaneously, they felt like screaming out in pain, for a beloved city had fallen. Brothers and sisters lost in the rubble, the Galra taking precious lives to the grave as their Empire fell to its knees. They cried as they pulled bodies out of the wreckage, side by side with the disgruntled warriors who seemed like they'd be elsewhere if they had no honor.

Keith pulled off his gloves, tossing them in the laundry pile. Hunk carefully placed his headband on top. "Hey, whoever does laundry, make sure to wash my lucky headband carefully? I've had it for a while, and it's just the one thing that I have from home."

"Why don't you just wash it yourself?" Keith asked.

"If someone's already washing stuff, I figure I can just add onto it."

"That's my laundry pile," Pidge snapped. "Don't add to it. I'm not washing your stupid fingerless gloves, Keith. They're not even plausible. Why do you even have them?"

He scowled and pulled them back on. "Aesthetic."

"Quite a big word, Keith." Allura lifted her head. "I didn't know your brain could process that much information."

"Oh, boy," Hunk whispered under his breath.

Keith turned, hand out. "You're really gonna bring this up? I did my job. I can't help it if there were casualties."

"Perhaps you cannot relate due to the fact that you have not lost anything of importance," she snapped, "but I have lost my entire planet, and I know the pain and scars it inflicts. You cannot expect these people to simply recover as if nothing has happened, especially when it is due to your actions."

"It worked last time!"

"You should've stuck to the plan," Allura retorted. "We have one for a reason."

"If you don't-" Keith rushed forward.

"Hey, hey now!" Hunk lifted Keith off the ground and carried him out the door. "That's enough for now, Matt!" The Holt moved to calm Allura, who looked quite ready to throw down with Keith. "Okay then. That's enough." He put Keith down, who hadn't struggled since being picked up. His cheeks glowed red, but he shook his head and returned back to normal. "Alright. That's enough."

"She's being irrational." He crossed his arms and looked out the window, blowing his puff of hair out of his face. "I didn't know that was going to happen."

"We're all just a bit low on an emotional support system. She doesn't really feel that way. And if she does, she'll just have to get over it. We've been taking casualties since we started. It's war."

"I don't need an emotional support system. I haven't had Lance for a couple years."

Hunk smiled. "I didn't even say Lance, and you're already there."

Keith blushed again. "He was always there for me."

"Yeah, he was. We could probably call him right now, and he'd be totally on board to come out here and give us all hugs. But that's not really on the table right now."

"I don't know how he does it." Keith sat on the windowsill. "Stay sane."

Hunk glanced at him. "We were roommates at the Garrison, and he was like that, only more out there, y'know? I didn't get it. He took meds for depression, so I didn't get how he could be so happy."

Keith lifted his head. "Lance was depressed?"

"Clinical depression, yeah. I think after he was in the pod the first time, back on Eros, it healed his brain, which was good. But, point is, he knows what it's like to not be able to control his own emotions, to not be happy. He knows how to talk people through emotional breakdowns."

"And he figured that all out on his own?"

"He and Ronnie." Keith tilted his head. "Big sister, by two years. She's super cool. Awesome chef, engineer. Anyway, they're both brilliant when it comes to emotions. They taught be a lot about people." He nudged Keith's shoulder. "You're learning, too."

"Guess being a Galra makes sense, why I wasn't ever the social butterfly."

"It's chill." Hunk stood. "I'm gonna go down and help Shiro out with cleanup. You wanna come?"

He shook his head. "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."

 **Week 3**

Shiro decided a break from planet saving would be a welcome thing after the last bittersweet victory. They stopped at a small base on a windy forest planet, pockets of biting sandstorms in open plains. The base patrolled a nearby planet occupied by the Galra, right on the other side of an asteroid belt they didn't dare cross. Shiro promised them they'd free the planet, they just needed a week to refuel their ships, charge their electronics, refill their supplies. Rebuild their morale and purpose for fighting. Luckily, the rebels on the base were quite kind and open to the former paladins of Voltron.

Pidge held back in the ship, making sure all her instruments (and her game system) were plugged in and ready to go. The power would surge in soon, and the consoles would rise with life once more, not needing to be recharged for another two weeks.

She tapped a screen absentmindedly as they began to receive charge. A light flickered on and off, and she leaned forward. "A transmission?" But as she went to click on it, it disappeared. "That's...broken." She took her hands off it. "I didn't break it." She stepped back. "Shiro should know about this. Not that he'd care, because he doesn't listen to any of us anyway. Not that anyone except me has anything good to say."

She paused by the door. "Why is he like this? I'm his best asset on the team, and he doesn't ever bring it up or give me a bit of the credit. It's all for the cause or his doing, never me or anyone else. Why am I even here? I could be doing so much more for me and the universe if I wasn't here. I should be back on Earth, helping dad out with Earth. But I'm here with a bunch of ungrateful idiots who don't know how to fix a stupid broken transmission."

Her cheeks burned as her eyes followed back to the lit console. "Fix it yourselves," she snapped at no one in particular and stormed off the ship.

N

Keith practiced his swings out in the forest, jumping off fallen trunks and small hills. He practiced various swings and defences. From behind, he could hear Shiro's arm power up, and he dodged it easily. Yet Shiro smiled, and Keith did, too. This was going to be fun.

They fought together for a couple minutes, Shiro memorizing Keith's defensive strategy. They stopped only when they came to a crossroads of weapons from which neither of them could win. They stopped and put down their weapons.

Shiro tossed Keith a water bottle. "You're slowing down."

"At least I'm not as old as you," he teased.

They drank in silence for a couple moments. "You miss Lance."

"Did you hear me and Hunk?"

He shook his head. "But he's too important to the team. If any of us tried to create a team like he did, we wouldn't be able to. We're not that intuitive into the soul."

"But if he tried to teach someone how to use a sword, it'd be a mess."

Shiro nodded. "We've all got strengths, but we can't do without him. We'll see if we can team up with him. Meanwhile, you should talk to Allura."

"She's being irrational."

"She's hurt." Shiro took another drink and stood. "I'll talk to her first, make sure she's not gonna come at you."

Keith struggled to respond. "Th-thanks."

N

"I don't understand why he would do such a thing! We've discussed the plan for liberating planets hundreds of times. It's how we spent the days before moving into the planet's atmosphere, and it worked the first time. If he had slowed down and stuck to the plan, that city might still be standing." Allura clenched her fist, refusing with all her being to attack Shiro out of frustration. "He left the team and came back as a one man standing. He doesn't understand what it means to be a part of a team."

"Allura, Keith isn't like that."

"And now you're just defending him! It's like you can't even see that he made a mistake, and you and everyone else are so unwilling to admit that something might be wrong with his actions."

"Something might be wrong overall, but we can't let that stand in our way."

"Don't-don't. I don't want to listen to some inspirational speech. I don't want to work with him if he isn't going to follow orders."

"Mine or yours?"

She squinted at him for a moment, then turned with a huff out of the room. He crossed his arms and mumbled a disgruntled "kids" under his breath.

N

"So what's up with the asteroid field? Anything we should know about?"

The commander of the base showed Hunk some scans. "There are strange quintessal readings from inside the field. We do not know if they are deadly or simply strange. However, we cannot risk the few resources we have to embark on such a journey. If it destroyed our ship, we would be left with nothing and no way to get back."

"That makes sense. Well, we'll be the guinea pigs." Hunk leaned into the screen. "What's this blob here?"

"That's a quintessal reading. A strange one...different from the asteroid field."

"But that's where we are."

The commander squinted. "Indeed it is. Another mystery to solve."

 **Week 4**

They flew into the asteroid belt surrounding the planet, quite small alongside the huge boulders that floated around space. Pidge and Matt stood at the consoles, so the others awkwardly stood along the walls with crossed arms and waited for orders. Shiro gave none.

Pidge lifted her head. "It's quintessence."

"I told you it was," Hunk sighed.

"Which I did and still do think is crazy. Do you really think I'd go off your word instead of my own eyes?" She didn't look up to see his fallen gaze. "I don't really think it's that great of a thing to do. We've been through some crazy stuff, but we don't have Voltron."

"We don't need Voltron," Allura said, stepping up to a console, in Shiro's line of sight. "We cannot be too dependent on Voltron. If we call them every time we are stuck in a situation, we would do better to just stay with them."

"Maybe that's not a bad idea," Keith argued.

They looked at Shiro. He looked at Pidge. "Contact Voltron. See if they can come out. Even if they can't, it'd be good to get readings from the Castle's systems."

Pidge kept her head high. "We can't."

"Why not?"

"The transmission is broken."

"What-why did you fix it?"

Hunk moved forward. "Why didn't you tell me? That's my gig."

"Because we don't need help." Without blinking an eye, she took control of the aircraft and flew straight into the asteroid field. "We don't need Voltron, we don't need Lance, and I don't need any of you! I'll just do it myself."

"Pidge!" Allura exclaimed. "We do not act like this."

"You're not my mom!"

"And isn't this what you wanted?" Keith interjected. "You wanted us to just stay out of Voltron's business, but the second you're not needed anymore, oh, things are different."

"Shut your mouth, Galra. You are the true enemy here."

They drew their weapons simultaneously and engaged. Keith pushed Allura back with his blade, but she drew her Altean whip and fought back. Shiro and Matt jumped up, trying to step between them with their own weapons, but the two aliens wouldn't stop.

Hunk looked around the room in disbelief. He jumped up and pushed Pidge away from the controls, and the ship spiraled out of control. It smashed into an asteroid, bright white lights emitting from the center. The ship's controls went dark, the red glow of the backup power coming from behind.

Up ahead, they could see the other rebel ships safely navigating through.

"Stop it!" Allura shouted.

"You think you can just be the boss here? Shiro's in charge. You're just a pawn."

She lunged at him again.

Pidge slowly regained herself, squinting to see Hunk frantically piecing together the transmission. "Don't you dare!" She screamed. "I'll never speak to you again."

The transmission lit to life, and a voice came through. They all froze.

"V3 to V2. V3...to V2. Come in."

"It's Caden!" Hunk shouted.

"Oh, this is a message. No matter." He cleared his throat. "We are at a plateau in the sixteenth quadrant researching some strange metal, and we've found something quite interesting. The metal Haggar used to broadcast her signal at the gala is the same metal found in gladiator's...adjustments, when that was still a thing. In Shiro's arm. So, she might have used his arm to get inside. We'll let you know when we have more information on it."

The recording cut, and a second began.

"I have a bit more information. The metal has been surrounded by quintessence and is quite infused with the stuff. If she's spent a significant amount of time with it, or any druid, for that matter, she may be able to control it somewhat, the metal, to some extent. I'll call back when I have more information."

"This is ridiculous," Pidge grumbled. "What an idiot."

"Shh."

A third started. "Listen, you need to do something about Shiro's arm. I think she's learned to control this metal a lot more than we thought. She could move it from any distance, control actions, electrical systems, the quintessence of entire planets, maybe even other people. I'm talking actions, words, even emotions. You need to get rid of that thing."

The message cut out. No more.

They all stared at Shiro. He stared at them with wide eyes. "What are you waiting for? Cut it off!"

Keith gripped his sword and rushed forward, suddenly blasted off by an unknown source. He looked up to see Allura, whip around his ankle. "What are you doing? We have to get rid of it!"

"I didn't do anything!"

Hunk moved forward, stopped by a screaming Matt. Pidge stayed curled up in a ball, shaking on the floor. Shiro looked down at his hand, shaking violently. "You've been controlling us this whole time." He scowled, looking around for a piece of shrapnel. "No more."

He waited until Keith lunged at him, wrenching the sword out of Keith's hand. "You don't own me!" With one swoop, he cut off his metal arm and watched it fall to the floor. He yeeted it into the exit and opened the doors. It spiraled into space.

He fell to the floor as the rest snapped out of a stupor. They looked up to see unfamiliar constellations and a sick looking purple planet. "I've never seen that before," Hunk told them. "Where are we?"

Matt looked around at their battered ship and shuddered. "We're messing with things we don't understand. Only Haggar really has any idea as to how quintessence works. We could be anywhere in the universe, or another reality, for all we know."

"Not another reality." Pidge hid her face.

Shiro stood, making his way back to the overlook of the ship. "Let's land on that planet and rest. Tomorrow, we'll figure out where we are and how to get home." In a moment, they went to work to get on the purple planet. He looked up and sighed. "Here we are again."


	56. Chapter 56 - Death Wish

Chapter 56 - Death Wish

Ari opened her eyes and rose immediately, ready to start the day. She slipped on a new pair of leggings, grabbed her bayard, and hurried out the door. As she started down the hallway, she head Caden's door open and turned to give him a quick nod. He managed to raise his hand in hello before turning back into his room with a groan.

She found Lance working in the bridge, headphones on. He nodded his head to the beat and occasionally slid to the left or right. She wondered if he was listening to some Earth music she'd never heard of, or perhaps some songs by that one pop star, Renee Olvachokie. Dang, she was pretty. Ari shook her head and walked up to the control panel, looking over his shoulder at the search on the board. She tapped his shoulder, and the headphones came off. "What are you looking for?"

Lance looked at the time. "Good morning to you, too." He slid the search over to her console, double screen. "I'm looking for that Motley person you said your dad told you about."

"You sure we shouldn't be looking for Haggar?"

"She's still pretty unsearchable. I was hoping I could get in contact with Shiro," he frowned, "but they're not responding. The rebels in that area are on lockdown so the Galra aren't alerted to their presence. It's smart, but doesn't make things any easier for us."

"Did they give a time when they'd be done?"

"Three days from now. But they can help us with the outer parts of the universe and tracking the metal that's apparently in Shiro's arm, and we can figure out what she's planning to use it for as well as what kind of properties it has that we don't know about yet." He pressed buttons with vigor, mimicking each syllable.

"How long have you been up?"

He shook his head once. "I couldn't sleep last night."

She nodded. "Tell me to do something."

The screen dinged, glowing green with something found. Lance's eyes widened. "You've gotta be kidding me," he mumbled under his breath. "Drove Shiro crazy." He turned to Ari. "Get the team up here. We're making a trip to go see a guy who might be able to tell us a little bit more about the Motley."

N

Three vargas later, they touched down on the planet. Apparently being a month older while only living an hour of that time messed with circadian rhythms, or something. Caden had sleepily explained it while they flew. Samaria, a gorgeous planet with waterfalls pillowing down to the core of the planet and out again, plateaus of rock providing landing platforms and space for cities. They kept their lions floating above the atmosphere, just out of reach of the ocean's galloping spray; Lance piloted the cruiser down to the surface.

A messenger approached them with a bow. "Welcome, paladins." He smoothed his hair and blushed. "I had never truly believed I might meet the black paladin of Voltron. It's an awesome-I mean honor! Thank you for coming very much and my queen would be most delighted if you could come inside for a moment." He blushed and covered his face.

Ari smacked her hand over Will's mouth to keep him from laughing, but Lance simply put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Thanks for coming out. I'm happy to be here."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" He said, his voice still muffled by his hands.

"Do you know if there's a Slav here?"

The boy looked up, eyes wide. "The sage."

"...yeah."

He pointed at a shaky tent to the right, hewn between two thick trees. "There. But we've been told to never enter, or the world would end!"

Lance nodded. "I'm uh...a business partner. It'll be okay. C'mon, guys." He patted the boy's back once more and smiled. "Thank you for your service."

The boy blushed even more and ran back in the city, shouting something as he went. Lance couldn't understand it over the roar of the waterfalls and the fact that they had turned to enter the tent. They hesitated out at the front for a moment, wordless. They nodded, and Lance reached for the panel door.

"STOP!"

They all jumped back and screamed at the commanding voice from inside. Will peeked inside, but he didn't dare touch the tarp again. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

"There is a forty-five percent chance that the world will end if you step inside my tent!"

Jesse looked dumbfounded. "Wh-what?"

"He's like that," Lance grumbled and walked into the tent. "Hey, I don't know if you remember me-"

"Sharpshooter, Blue Paladin, Red Paladin, Goofball, Black Paladin." Slav squinted. "Lance McClain. It would be harder to not know you at all than to forget."

"Great." He took a seat, the rest of the paladins sneaking in without touching the door. "I was doing a search of the universe for people who might know something about some ancient Altean prophecy, and you were the only one that came up."

"Ah-ha! The realities in which I am the ONLY source are two in infinity!"

Lance squinted. "I took Lotor and Haggar out from the search. They're not really an option."

"Right NOW! One in four realities result in those characters being on the good side! And one in five in which you are Altean. You wouldn't need my help at all, ha! All depending on which haircut you chose when you were six."

"What?"

Lance leaned over to Ari. "Jokes on him, my mom chose it."

Slav jumped up. "Then we still have a chance!"

"Ooo." Lance was starting to see why this guy drove Shiro so crazy. "Just-can you tell us something about the Motley?"

"An Altean legend." The other paladins moved to sitting on the floor, listening in. "In sixty-five point six percent of realities he is merely a legend! Who knows which one we are in. Blue Paladin!" Will jumped and whimpered. "What socks are you wearing?"

"Uh..." He looked in his shoe. "Pink?"

Slav's eyes widened. "Oh." He covered his mouth with his hands. "Oh, no."

"What? What is it?"

"This is the reality...where the Motley exists! And plays a pivotal role."

"We need to find him. Or her."

"No can do. Only..." He typed in his wristwatch, "...in fifteen point three percent of realities do you find the Motley this early! And in only six percent of realities does this exact formation of Voltron even surface."

"Hold on!" Caden raised his hand and waited to be called on. "Does that mean that in ninety-four percent of realities we never even meet each other?" Slav nodded excitedly.

"Don't encourage him," Lance and Ari grumbled.

"So how many of those realities-"

"The Motley!" Lance reminded them. "You can come back and be nerds later."

"If you HAVE a later!" Slav exclaimed. "In forty-five out of sixty-seven of realities-"

"We have all the information we need, right?" Ari leaned over. "I can just look up Altean folklore."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Everything's up these days."

"Why didn't you just say that?" He stood. "Thanks, Slav. We'll keep an eye out for him."

"Or HER!"

"Wait, we're leaving?" Caden and Jesse looked up at him with puppy eyes. "He's a statistical expert and we could probably be a lot smarter just listening to him, and-and-we might get some insight on how future battles might go-exploring every possibility-"

Lance rolled his eyes affectionately. "We'll hang out for a couple vargas." He looked down at his watch. "Two vargas, be back at the cruiser."

"Uh huh." Caden focused on Slav. "What's the possibility I'll ever get stabbed? Or shot? Or really any injury without dying?" He grabbed Slav's upper arms. "What's the probability that the supernova a couple light years away from my planet will every produce uranium that I can use to build an AI?"

Slav's eyes widened. "Yes," he whispered, tears in his eyes.

N

Lance stepped out, Will and Ari behind him. "I'm gonna thank the queen for being so hospitable, maybe hang out with that one guy that said hello. I think he's a fan."

Will looked at Ari. "You wanna see if there's a food court?"

"Are you ever not hungry?"

"Never."

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, then."

They ran off, skipping through a waterfall. Lance turned to the queen's palace and saw a familiar face standing in his path.

Lance remembered the first time he'd truly felt like the black paladin, besides moving into Shiro's room. He'd stood on an asteroid just outside of a beautiful planet full of people who might've been an excellent addition to the Voltron Coalition, if he hadn't failed to save their planet. Yet the planet was destined for destruction, and there was nothing he could do. There were no survivors.

Except one, the prince of the planet. Especially salty and sassy, his head too high in the clouds. Lance hadn't had time to look for him after V2 had returned. Yet here was a character standing in front of him he'd never expected to see again.

"Hello, black paladin." The boy lifted his chin. "I think I have something of value for your cause."

"Kay." Lance blinked. "How are you-you're okay."

"Thanks for coming to look for me."

"Things came up."

"Yes, I know, the whole heroically saving the universe by entering a rift and what-not. Whatever, I couldn't care less. Anyone could've done it." Lance didn't care to argue. "Point is, I'm joining your team."

"Why?"

"Because with me, you can actually win." He looked up. "I can find where Haggar and Lotor are."

"How?"

"Because they've been holding me captive this whole time. I managed to escape." He laughed. "But you thought it was out of the goodness of my heart, didn't you? No, I'm just here for some good old fashioned revenge. Of course, there's payment to talk about."

"What payment?"

Kay looked up, past the waterfall at the stars. "So many desperate planets without leadership out in the universe. Such a shame. Wouldn't it be excellent if one of them had a leader who was familiar with the reigns of leadership, and would be a king if his planet hadn't of been destroyed?"

"There was nothing I could do."

"Keep telling yourself that." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "That's my deal. I help you track down Haggar and take her down, and you make me the king of some small, desperate planet in need of leadership."

Lance glanced him over. "You have an ulterior motive. I know people like you."

"But can you really afford to say no?"

He shook his head. He wouldn't be able to get in contact with V2 for another three days, and Haggar had a whole stash of the strange metal awaiting construction. "Not now."

"Exactly. So?" Kay held out his hand, a smirk on his face. "What do you say?"

Lance stared at his hand for a moment, before accepting the shake. "Yes. For now."


	57. Chapter 57 - Spy's Eyes

Chapter 57 - Spy's Eyes

Daria erupted in festivity and merrymaking for the annual meteor shower. They celebrated the passing of the stars, which hung heavy overhead for five minutes, lighting up the whole planet. The Alverion, who were in charge of the whole affair, worked tirelessly the weeks beforehand to decorate the town with reflective glasses, so the whole town lit up in brilliant colors when the meteors passed. Jesse and Caden assured them it was the most beautiful thing they'd ever seen, though Will cared to disagree. Merci would be a glorious festival, indeed.

Legends told of a beautiful boy who fell in love with a girl trapped in a star, but he couldn't see her except for when she passed over annually. He worked tirelessly for five years of only being able to see her for five minutes out of the year, building a spacecraft out of the reflective glass, the only material strong enough to brave the upper atmosphere. When he arrived in space, moments before her arrival, he chased her around space for the whole year, talking with her and getting to know her. When they circled back to his planet, she decided to stay, and pillowed down to Daria to live with him on the mountain the meteor created. From pictures, Lance could see the beauty of the mountain the legend spoke of, but the Galra had cut it down into a much less impressive cliff overlooking the village.

He looked forward to being a part of a festival not intended to honor him and his team. So many parades, so many adoring fans, so many people who were so glad to be finally free after thousands of years. He got sick of it, the superficial relationship. He knew most of them would want nothing to do with him if he wasn't the leader of Voltron. But even a celebration he might enjoy, the fight stole from him. He and Kay would work on Haggar's location while the others enjoyed Merci, the Festival of Lights. Kay had insisted that the other paladins deserved a break, and he didn't like to be in a room with too many idiots to begin with. In his words, one would be plenty.

Will pulled him aside before they took off. He wore a worried expression and couldn't seem to meet his leader in the eye. Lance leaned on the table so he wasn't so tall. "You've hardly talked all day. What's going on with you?"

He blushed. "I was just...thinking. Ari said something really neat last week when we were on that water-y planet, and I don't know, I just couldn't stop thinking, and I know it's crazy because we're trying really hard to find Haggar right now, but I just wanted to ask her just in case something happened or nothing happened, and I really don't want to wait."

Lance blinked. "For...what?"

"I was just...wondering if you still had that ring?"

His eyes widened with his smile. "For...Ari?"

"No, for Caden. Yes Ari! And I wanted to ask permission. You've kinda been her dad-actually, you've been all of our dads, and big brother, and all that jazz, but I figured you're the closest person I can go to to ask if it's okay if I ask Ari to marry me?"

"You know, most people don't consider marriage until after eighteen."

"Most people don't grow up in space."

Lance grasped both his shoulders. "I'm proud of you both. You have a special connection, but you haven't stopped at that. Your relationship is good, and you have more than my permission. You have my blessing."

Will bolted into a hug, squeezing so tight Lance could hardly breathe. "Thank you."

Lance handed him a key. "It's in my room, third drawer to the right. Leave my key under the mat right outside the door and don't you DARE take any of my chocolate. I'm not even gonna tell you where it is."

Will nodded and bounded off, passing a disgruntled Kay on the way. The prince scowled. "What is he so joyous for?"

"I'll tell you later, if it goes well."

"No matter." Kay sat at a computer. "It should be short and sweet, our time here together."

"I'm guessing you really don't want to have anything to do with me?"

"Precisely." He typed away. "Whether or not your actions had anything to do with the destruction of my home, your sins have piled up sky high since." Lance began to interrupt, but Kay held up his hand. "Don't try to interject. You may have no trouble believing that you do your best and that none can accuse you of any wrongdoing, but I know that you are ignoring a whole sector of the universe because it's convenient. I know you haven't returned home because you don't want to deal with a whole other panel of people older and wiser than you who will snatch away any importance you hold so dear. And I know you ignore advances of any others because you still believe, for some reason, that an Altean princess might want you."

Lance sat down. "We haven't gone back to Earth because we can't risk Haggar knowing where we're from. I know my value now, and Allura's a passing dream. We have bigger things to think about."

"Hmph."

"And as for your home." Lance tapped on his screen. "There hasn't been a day I don't regret what happened there."

"Prove it, black paladin. Prove your undying support for those who wouldn't care to know your name." He squared his shoulders. "I wonder just how far you'd care to go if you knew for sure those who you'd save would despise you."

N

The four colored paladins hiked to the top of the cliff in traditional Alveri garb, gifted to them by Caden and Jesse's proud parents. They looked magnificent, the boys in their tunics and Ari in her glistening gold dress. She was convinced it looked stunning aside her bright red lion, but the boys couldn't help but admire how gorgeous she looked, cosplaying as a star. Needless to say, they spent quite a bit of time in front of the mirror themselves, convincing themselves they looked good in the Alveri version of camouflage. Ari had pulled out her camera to keep photographic evidence of the time. Lance would get a kick out of it.

Will and Ari took an alternate route down the mountainside after being told there was a fantastic view of a crystal clear pool where the swimmers could get out without a drop of moisture still attached. Caden and Jesse retraced their steps.

Jesse kicked a stone in his path. "Are we gonna talk?"

"You are talking now."

"I mean about why you're so uptight."

"Me? Uptight? Yes, precisely, but also why you have been distant and haven't tried to talk to me up to this point." Jesse didn't respond. "Don't deny it. You would have swooped in ages ago, immediately when conflict arose, if you didn't have conflict yourself."

"And now I'm tired of it," Jesse huffed, "so tell me what's going on in your head."

"Like you would care," Caden grumbled, hurling a rock down the steep slope. It crashed against trees and shattered Jesse's deliberate silence, and answer itself. "But who am I kidding? You're the nice one, the one that cooks good food and keeps the peace and makes everyone feel all good and gooey inside. God forbid you might actually get tired of the crap people toss your way."

He stopped walking. "I get that you're upset-"

"No, you don't get anything, do you?" Caden turned, a couple yards apart from his brother. "You don't get how normal people act. You think that complex problems have simple solutions and can be fixed with a hug or one conversation, but when something is maybe bigger than us, you have no idea what to do and are so dumbfounded when things don't work out!"

"I don't know what you want from me," he calmly replied.

"That's it! It's like you don't have any other settings other than nice yellow paladin who hasn't seen an evil thing in his life."

"We both know that's not true."

"Then prove it." Caden squinted. "Yell at me."

Jesse didn't move.

"Scream, cry, hit me, do something to tell me that you're not okay with how things are, either. Anyone can lie with words, but it takes a master sociopath to lie with emotions."

"I'm not gonna-"

"C'mon, you admitted it yourself, you're not happy either. We're both not happy about things that we're too scared to talk about because we're too scared to lose each other."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are, because I know how you work. I know every little thought that's running through your head, or at least I thought I did. I haven't, because we're losing each other. We're going down different paths, and neither of us can stop that."

"You could."

"Excuse me?"

"You could stop it. But you're so caught up in being some intergalactic hero that's off saving planets even when there's not a planet to save. Did it occur to you that there are thousands of people who are way smarter than either of us, and maybe you don't have to be millions of light years from your home?"

"So that's it." Caden crossed his arms. "You're mad at me for leaving."

"Yes!" Jesse yelled. "I am mad that you are turning your back on the planet that produced you. You would be nothing without mom, and dad, and grandma and Safria and all of them, but you don't even have the decency to clean up after the mess the Galra left. They did everything in their power to stop the Galra from destroying you and manipulating you into their sick regime, and you're walking away from all of that!"

"I get it. I do. But I'm a part of something bigger."

"Did it ever occur to you that a single person is bigger than the whole universe? Sure, the universe is infinite, but so is a mind. You know that better than anyone. You've come up with things no one else has imagined yet, but so have they." Jesse sat on a rock, head in his hands. "One single person's death is the death of a soul, and that's worth more than the whole universe."

Caden sat next to him. "I can't come home."

"I know." He stood. "But don't expect things to still be the same."

"I need-"

"Then find it somewhere else. Because that's where you'll be."

"Once we're done with Voltron."

"Yeah." He looked at his feet. "Whenever that'll be."

Jesse turned and started back down the mountain, turning left to circle it back to the village. He disappeared from Caden's sight, who stayed sat on the rock, until the sky turned a mirage of reds, yellows, and pinks, signalling the sun's disappearance from the sky. He hurried down the mountain for the start of his last Festival of Lights.

N

Will and Ari looked overhead as the first bits of meteors flew above their heads. Will stared at them with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, while Ari simply smiled. Children giggled and ran around in the bits of light, which came quicker, and more, until the whole sky was full of brilliant lights. Some of the Alveri started taking pictures, doing funny poses, and dancing around in the moonlight.

"Looks like fun." Ari looked at Will. "Anything you want to do?" He didn't respond, just stared at her. She held his neck. "You're as pale as the stars. What's up?" She leaned in for a kiss, but he stepped back, her hands falling to her sides. "Will?" He got down on one knee. "What are you doing?"

"Ari." He cleared his throat, looking utterly terrified yet sure at the same time. She wondered how in the world he was making that expression as he held up a simple ring. "You're the first girl I ever liked, and you're the only one I fell in love with. You're..." He blinked a couple times "...the most beautiful person I've ever met, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You...you make me better, even though you really don't need me, which I why...I'm really hoping you'll say..."

"Will."

He took a deep breath. "Ariana Schuttmann, will you marry me?"

She covered her mouth and nodded wordlessly, trying so very hard to say yes, even though she had no air left in her lungs. She leaned forward and kissed him, letting go to whisper her answer. He stood and held her back as they kissed again in the pale starlight. He carefully put the ring on her finger. She caressed his face. "I'd kiss you silly if there wasn't anyone around."

"No one's looking."

She came millimeters from his lips when Jesse screamed from behind them and began running around like crazy as the meteors soared overhead. Ari averted Will's gaze with yet another kiss.

N

Lance watched from his window as the lights slowly disappeared, the planet returning to the yellow glow of street lamps. He smiled as he saw his red and blue paladins kissing each other for (he looked at his watch) four and a half minutes now. The shower ended.

Kay joined him at the window. "What are you staring at?"

He pointed at the couple. "My blue paladin just proposed to my red paladin, and from the looks of it, she said yes."

Kay blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Is it so hard to believe that we can fall in love?"

"We're in a war!"

"And there's no better way to give people hope, and remind them why we're fighting." Kay's screen flashed blue, and he hurried back to it. "What's up?"

"I found her."

"Really?" Lance leaned in.

"It's a particularly advanced system you could never understand. So many moving parts, but I managed to track the metal, and combined with my advanced knowledge of her plans to travel to a perfect reality, which does exist, considering there are infinite realities with infinite possibilities, I pinpointed her location on this planet. I will be able to discover her exact location once we have wormholed through. So? Let us go."

"Let's take a night to rest up." He glanced out the window. "We have a lot to celebrate."

"I don't-"

"It's okay, Kay. Enjoy yourself a little bit." Lance left the bridge.

Kay hesitated for a couple dobashes, turning back to his screen. He pressed three buttons at once, immediately initiating a call. The witch appeared on his screen. He put his arm over his chest and gave a little bow. "It's all in motion. He's taken the bait."

"And the engineers?"

"Have no idea. But they'll trust his word."

"Very good. I will expect your arrival shortly."

"We're-we'll be there tomorrow." Kay looked out the window, just in time to see a huge bonfire lit, looking like a candle from his view. "Lance-the black paladin-insisted that we need to take a rest day or something like that." He shook his head. "What-what are you planning on doing with them when you get them?"

"The colored four are of no use to me, but the black paladin has a special connection with Voltron. He has information he does not even know he possesses, which I may use to fulfill my destiny."

"So what are you going to do with them? You're not going to kill them, are you?"

She growled. "Typical of a leader of Voltron. It seems he softens all those who begin to be close to him. Keep your tracker active and your location active."

He nodded quickly. "Of course. Vrepit sa."

She squinted at him and ended the call. Kay moved towards the window, hands clasped behind his back, looking down at the dancing figures on the ground. He couldn't see the men, but he could see the spinning gold dresses of the women reflecting the fire they spun around. The prince took a defeated breath. "This is good. I need to do this. I have to. I...I want to." He looked down on them. "Goodbye, paladins of Voltron."


	58. Chapter 58 - Traitorous

Chapter 58 - Traitorous

Lance delayed their pursuit of Haggar and Lotor after the Alverion insisted upon throwing another celebration in honor of Will and Ari once the Festival of Lights ended. He was more than happy to comply, but Kay seemed uneasy. He wanted to talk to Kay and let him know that they would catch Haggar and they all would be avenged for the hurt she'd caused, but they didn't have the best working relationship. He left it up to his actions to prove to Kay that they could be friends.

The day of, the Alverion surprised the happy couple by throwing not only a party for those who had seen them getting engaged during the Festival of Lights, but also inviting their friends back at Haza and people from their missions. Lance greeted familiar face after familiar face, person after person who congratulated him on his paladins' engagement. More than half were convinced he had more to do with it than reality, but he let it be. Will had already asked him to be best man, and Ari had asked him to walk her down the aisle. He didn't exactly see how he was going to do both. Oh well.

Many made speeches, commending the bravery and loyalty of each persons, the growth and maturity uncommon in couples as young as they. They presented little trinkets, one in particular being a bracelet that warms whenever the other is near. Will put it on immediately while holding Ari's hand. One boisterous person in particular gave them both a quintessence bomb, left behind by the Galra. They assured him they would find an occasion to use it. At the end, the Alverion announced that the Voltron Coalition had agreed to gift them with their wedding, however big or small they wished it to be. They could not finish to thank Voltron for its salvation of the universe, but perhaps they could ease the lives of two of its paladins, whom everyone agreed were adorable together.

It was a happy moment for all. Lance caught a couple smiles from Kay, the king of isolation himself.

So, three days after the Festival of Lights, they flew out to the location Kay had pinpointed. Lance could feel the rift between Caden and Jesse, but the two were verbally fighting anymore. He decided to settle for a small victory until they didn't have bigger battles to fight. Besides, they'd even cooperated to give Will and Ari an engagement present: they rewired the blue and red lions' coms to each other, with buttons in the other other three to contact them if something needed to be shared with the whole team. Otherwise, they could have private conversations.

The planet was a huge circular cluster of tiny ecosystems circling a glowing orange center, the magnetic field prohibiting any from escaping the field. Caden and Jesse started losing their minds when they saw it, chattering like crazy, and Lance's head spun to try to keep up with them.

"Do you have a button to turn off the coms, or is that just Ar-I mean, the red one?"

"That's just Ari. I honestly don't know how she figured it out, I'm not that tech savvy. But I guess when there's a will, there's a way."

"And you've never wanted to be alone?"

He turned to the right, following the neat little path Jesse had set up in his systems. The others followed. "I have my ways." He pressed the button and waited until all his paladins checked in. "Alright, we're nearing our destination. Let's stick close together. She doesn't know we're coming, so we have the element of surprise."

Lance led them to a planet made of dusty white. They parked their lions on the opposite side of the planet the coordinates indicated Haggar on. For a couple minutes, they observed the purple, glowing rock from their white rock. Will named the rock Dusty, after a white cat he'd apparently seen on Haza that was the same color and was also named Dusty. They'd ignored him, for the most part.

Caden smacked his systems. "I'm picking up something, but I can't really tell what it is. It's definitely on the other side of the planet, though, so we'll probably be safe to jump over there?"

"Jump?" Will gulped.

"Yeah, jump. We'll probably just flow with the magnetic current once we get out of this rock's gravity after a couple seconds of jetpack-ing it. Lance?" His leader nodded. "Adios!" He jumped up and flew into the air, the current catching him and shooting him up at increasing speed. He slowed when he reached the next planet. They could barely make out his thumbs up.

Will glanced at Ari. "Ladies...first?" She took his hand, and they jumped together into the current, shooting off. The others followed.

Caden had already set up his equipment by the time they all arrived. Jesse squatted by him, wordless, yet offering his support. The others stood silently, looking over the horizon. Lance knelt beside the brothers. "Getting anything?"

"The magnetic strain is messing with my systems." Caden smacked his computer. "I don't get it. Whatever she's building on the other side of this planet is way bigger than it was showing up anywhere else."

The others leaned in, though Will seemed distracted by a insect looking like a gorgeous hybrid between a butterfly and a beetle. Lance pointed at the big, dark blob on the screen. "Is that it?"

"Yeah. It's moving, a little bit. I don't know if it's a weapon or an animal, or just a base or a ship or what. It's not even made of that material she was using, I'd've picked that up a while ago."

"It's perfect, if you think about it," Ari remarked. "It's the perfect cover for her operation."

"Intense magnetic force, yeah." Jesse typed rapidly. "I guess we'll just keep moving in blindly, since we have no idea what it is."

"Could it be a fifty foot tall monster oozing black goo with huge white pointy teeth that moves with incredible speed and accuracy for a creature of its size?"

Caden nodded. "Yeah, actually."

"Sweet, because I was really hoping there weren't two of those things."

They all looked up to see a monster quite close to Will's apt description, looming on the horizon. Lance stood. "It's okay. Voltron can take that thing on, easy-peasy."

"We can't form Voltron," Caden told them.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS-" "YOU BETTER BE JOKING-" "I DID NOT-" "VOLTroN!"

"That's why she's here!" Caden flipped around his screen so they all could see. "Voltron comes together with mystical properties as well as scientific, and those scientific properties happen to be that the positive and negative elements in the metal Voltron's made of don't come together in this intense of a magnetic field!"

"We have to get to out lions still. With all five of us, we can still-"

"We CAN'T! Our lions won't RESPOND to us! My sensors are the same as from Voltron's and they were malfunctioning when we were miles away!"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Will screamed.

"I didn't think it was going to be this big of a problem! And it's not. We can just squeeze past this guy and follow the flow of the magnetic field until we get back to our lions."

"Stay together!" Lance shouted as the monster bounded towards them. "We're stronger that way! Draw your weapons. Kay? Kay!" He looked around, not seeing the prince anywhere in sight. His team bounded to the horizon. He stayed frozen behind. "This is a trap," he said to himself. "Guys! It's a-"

Just as the words escaped his mouth, the monster skidded to a stop, his teeth dropping to the ground to form six foot tall monsters, miniature versions of the hotel sized one. With twenty-four or so mini-monsters at its side, the hybrid continued their pursuit. Lance could see new teeth taking the place of the ones now running on the ground. He bolted towards his paladins.

They fought the mini-monsters, but the huge monster ran right past them and towards the magnetic current. Lance fought the mediocre monsters while watching another batch of the monsters run from their mother's stance. As the monster prepared to fight the magnetic current, Lance could see four figures on top of the monster, and he recognized the flowing white hair of three of them.

"Guys!" He shouted through his coms. "We can't fight off these monsters, and Haggar's almost to our lions. We haven't really done this before but we're gonna learn how to do it regardless, okay? I need you to focus and call your lion to you." He whipped his head around for a moment, memorizing where his enemies were before closing his eyes while continuing to fight. "Focus on your bond with your lion. Tell it you need help. Then call out to it." He took a deep breath himself and gripped his sword. _Now or never. That's been our motto, right?_

He heard a roar and opened his eyes to see the Black Lion flying off the white planet and towards the purple one. With a swoop, the Black Lion took out the original batch of minions and opened his mouth to Lance. The Black Paladin ran into his lion and into the cockpit. "How's everybody doing?"

He heard a succession of four more roars. In a couple moments, his paladins took the sky. "Looking-agh!"

He was hit from behind and spiralled down to the surface, needing a moment to recuperate. When he looked up, he joined the collection of panicked gasps upon seeing the monster grow before his very eyes. He worked on his controls for a couple minutes and took a deep breath. "Listen, guys, we can beat this thing."

"We can't form VOLTRON!" Will voiced the sentiments of the whole group.

"I know, but even if we could, we wouldn't need to. We're a team, whether we're forming Voltron or not. We can do this."

The monster continued to grow, pouring out hundreds of the minions into space, this time with wings. Lance developed a plan. "Okay. I've got it, but we need to all work in unison. Nothing is hidden, nothing is too small to tell. Constant communication, okay?" They affirmed. "Alright. Here's the plan."


	59. Chapter 59 - Feels

Chapter 59 - Feels

"Here's the plan. We need to get to its core, that's how Haggar's monsters work. There's always a central energy core, and when you destroy that, the whole creature goes down. That'll probably dismantle the rest of it, too. We'll take turns distracting it and making passes." He could see Haggar, Lotor, and the other two disembarking from the monster back onto the purple planet as he planned. "The rest of it is covered in armor plates, so when you get an open shot down the throat, take it." The monster rushed forward. "May the force be with you! Let's go!" Lance shouted and flew to the right.

The monster followed his path, but with quicker reflexes than Lance was expecting. He was smashed against a rock, which fell out of its magnetic pull and into the core. The monster drew a sword made from spare armor plates. Just before slicing the Black Lion in half with it, Ari came in from behind and took a shot at his shoulder. The monster changed its target.

The fighting continued in like fashion for a couple more moments. At one point, Lance had an open shot at the monster, but Caden shot it from behind, and it turned. He groaned and moved in again. "Make sure you don't make it turn if someone else has a shot!" Caden apologized, but Lance assured him, "don't worry, we're learning. We're getting closer. Keep going."

It reminded him of a video game he and Veronica used to play on weekends, and late at night when Luis didn't care to watch them carefully. The final boss battles were so hard and heavy, and often stressful, they'd wear spare hospital masks to remind themselves to not scream. It was a classic game of taking damage but not too much, because you could heal later, but not come back to life. It was a game of reminded oneself he had teammates, always. At least until Mama came home from work and was enraged that they were awake at two in the morning.

Will had a chance and missed, but the creature didn't seem to catch on. He loved the positivity on the coms, as well as the screaming and yelling. Jesse told Will to pay no mind to the past, Caden told Ari she was doing great at outrunning his sword. Will let Caden know his lion looked great from that angle, and Ari assured Jesse his lion hadn't been nicked by the monster.

The opportunity came again, where Lance was aligned for a shot. He powered up as the others held it down, wavering just to the right or the left. Finally, his systems locked. "I got it!" He told them, and fired his shot. From the top of the monster, a beam of white and purple light emitted from an emerging figure. His beam was cut short, then shorter, and shorter, until it overtook his lion, tossing it backwards.

Lance felt shocks run through his veins, and he screamed in pain. His lion powered down as his head fell back against his seat.

N

He opened his eyes to see brilliant white. He squeezed his eyes shut to block out the blinding light.

Slowly, Lance let the light in, and his eyes adjusted to see beautiful tall grass swaying in the wind, pink flowers dotted here and there in a glorious display. His eyes rose to see white castles in the distance, tall pathways leading from one to the next. He stood, looking down to see a white garb draped on his shoulders, black accents on the shoulders, chest, and waist. He blinked.

"I was hoping you might find your way here, one way or another." He turned to see a man with white hair, Altean marks on his cheeks. He wore a similar outfit, with red accents instead of black. He wore a tired expression, and his wrinkles bore many years. "I had hoped it would be you."

Lance looked back at the tall castle. "Altea."

"How I remember it." He could see flashes of castles on fire and fields filled with debris and burning bodies. But it was mostly Altea, as it should've been remembered. "I had hoped to share it with another, another species that wasn't Altean. It seems the Galra have destroyed all remnants of our history."

"Not all. Allura's still here."

"Ah, yes. Allura."

Something clicked. "You're Alfor."

He nodded. "My beloved daughter has faithfully carried on the Altean legacy, but I wonder still if it will be enough. One or two people are never enough to lead a charge."

"I have."

"Bold of you to assume you have not had hundreds of people shaping you, forming you, and planting you where you are today." He looked to the side. "But I know you know this. You are the kind of person who would acknowledge those in the background."

"How are you here?"

"Once a paladin of Voltron, always a paladin of Voltron. Our souls are embedded in the lions of Voltron for eternity, forever guarding the universe, yet simultaneously at rest. We live our lives with our families on the astral plane, comforted by lifelong friends." He turned slightly. "I wanted to see you."

"So this is the astral plane?"

The king shrugged. "The Altean magic coursing through your veins allows you to see it now, but through other circumstances, it would appear as you have seen it before: a stretch of reflective black nothingness."

"Nice."

"It is beautiful, either way. And yet, I hate it."

Lance tilted his head. "Altea's your home."

"You misunderstand me." He paused for a moment, as Lance touched his arm. It tingled, like pins and needles. He shook it as his vision blurred. "I believed I was doing the universe a service when I built Voltron. I believed I would solve problems, but instead, I broke the universe beyond repair."

"I don't understand."

"Lance-"

He felt lighting hit him again as the vision broke like glass before his eyes. His sight turned to static as the pins and needles overtook all his skin. He writhed, but it was bearable. After a couple moments, his vision was restored to see the fight back again. He sat up straight. "Alfor?"

"Lance? You okay?" Ari flew her lion around to him.

"I'm...here. I'm here."

"Haggar's up there! We haven't been able to locate Lotor or the others."

"How long was I out?"

"Just a couple minutes. I think we're doing okay."

"Voltron!" His coms sputtered to life. "Are you in the ninth quadrant?"

"Yes!" He shouted back.

"Nearby planets are being attacked by monstrous beings that cannot be stopped by our weapons. Voltron is needed NOW!"

Lance sat back in his chair. "If we leave, this thing will just go to another planet."

"We've tried to defeat it."

He raised his chin. "We can still win this. Caden, Jesse! Go to the nearest star system and take care of these minions. Ari, Will, take care of this monster. Distract and destroy it."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to find Haggar and finish this." He flew off.

Will waited on his fiancee. "What's the plan?"

"I'll distract it, you take the shot. It'll be expecting me to attack, so we should have an advantage." Ari took off, firing fire and circling it with incredible speed. But the monster learned, and hurled its tail in her direction. She was knocked against a planet and lost controls for a moment. Will gained the monster's attention and took a shot, but it ricocheted against the shoulder. He dodged the counterattack and withdrew. "Again!" She shouted.

The repeated the spectacle, but when Will tried to gain the monster's attention, it stayed focused on the Red Lion, refusing to give Will a shot. Instead, it pounded the Red Lion against a planet. Ari's coms went dead.

Will shouted her name over and over again, successfully gaining the attention of the monster. "Lance! I lost Ari, she's not responding. I can't take this thing down on my own, and I don't know how much longer I can outrun it. It's...learning." But Lance didn't respond; he had already left his lion. Will took a moment to look around in his lion. "I can't destroy this thing in my lion." It already loomed five times bigger than him, and it continued to grow. "We need...Voltron."

He spotted a pile of stuff in his lion, leftover from the engagement party. Inside, he knew was a weapon he was pretty sure would take care of the creature. But he also knew that particular weapon didn't have a timer. He hesitated for but a moment before grabbing the whole bag and bolting out of his lion.

N

He spotted Haggar off her post on the monster and on a black rock planet glowing an eerie yellow. He drew his sword and shield, moving forward. "Hey!"

She turned slowly. "Black Paladin. We meet again."

"The fighting has to stop. You're destroying entire civilizations."

"It will make no difference when this reality is no more."

"I can't let you do that."

She laughed. "It's hilarious, how you think you have control over what happens. You are nothing in the grand scheme of things." She pulled back her cape to reveal her arguably gorgeous white hair, but as he watched, her skin changed from Galra purple to a creme shade. "I have been through entire lifetimes of misery and have fought through it all to be with my family."

"I know what that's like." He put his sword and shield away, deciding to use a different strategy. "I've been trying to get home since I got out in space. I love my family and would do anything to see them again, but right now, I'm a part of something bigger than myself. So are you."

"I have been wronged."

"But you can't take that out on others."

Haggar-Honerva now? He needed to brush up on his universal history-turned slightly to focus on the monster. Lance looked too, seeing a small speck flying via jetpack onto the surface. "No," she growled.

Lance looked around. Jesse and Caden would've already been at the next planet by now, and Ari was knocked out. "No," he breathed and rushed forward, but a shoot of magic knocked him down.

"This isn't the end," she cried, "not for me!"

N

Will stepped into the monster's mouth, past the hundreds of white teeth regenerating to form tiny little monsters. He could see their eyes beginning to emerge and hurried on. Down a cavity here, down a cavity there, until he saw something that looked remotely familiar to a heart. There, he planted two quintessence bombs.

He took a ragged breath. Was there another way? Probably not, if Lance hadn't defeated Haggar by now. Ari was unconscious somewhere, and the monster was likely making her his next target. Caden and Jesse would be overrun by the mini-monsters who increased in number on the daily, and the whole reality would be destroyed anyway. He blinked back tears. It would be a good world to live on, one with Lance and Ari to defend the universe, and the twins to carry the rest of the it afterwards. He waved at nothing in particular. "Thanks for letting me be your paladin. It...it was an honor flying with you."

He flipped a switch. The fuse paused for a moment before blowing him and the creature into oblivion.


	60. Chapter 60 - Love, Interrupted

Chapter 60 - Love, Interrupted

Lance felt the blast burn his skin, as quintessence decimated the ring of planets surrounding a core which was, in no way, sufficient to protect against the massive explosion. But his skin only burned for a couple moments, and then he was surrounded by black and dim purple lighting. He sat up, groaning, to see the familiar cockpit of the Black Lion. His hands quivered as he grasped the sides in attempt to stand, and plopped back in the chair. Just outside the glass, he could see the explosion splatter planets with burning yellow light, tossing his lion and the planets all around. He braced himself, eyes squeezed shut, until the motion stopped.

When his lion stopped spinning, he flipped a switch, the power properly hummed back to life. He shook as he pressed a button and was met with static. "Paladins, come it." His voice cracked. "Please."

"Lance." Jesse's voice came through. "Did you guys beat Haggar? These monsters are just melting into black goop. We didn't even do anything."

"Yeah, the monster's the gone. I don't know about Haggar." He smacked his dashboard. "Ari, come in."

He spotted the Red Lion's eyes light up among the dust. Ari's groan came through on the coms. "How long have I been out? What happened?"

His mind reeled. "I-Will stopped the creature." He stared at the open space with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. "Will? Will, come in."

"Will?" "Answer me, buddy." "Come in." "Where are you?" "Don't do this to me." "WILL?"

Lance flew his lion around the wreckage. Bits of planets, bits of molten core, floated around in space and knocked against his lion. He didn't pay any heed. He kept looking, kept searching through the wreckage. Ari flew around the outer rim, and he could see the yellow and green lions flying in from afar. They all shouted through the coms frantically, until Lance saw the Blue Lion flying in the middle of all of it. He quickly jumped out of his lion and into space.

Time seemed to slow in the short fly between the Black and Blue Lions. Memories floated back, of seeing the Blue Lion, in all its glory, roar to life back on Earth. He remembered flying it for the first time as his friends screamed in his ear. He remembered outrunning that battleship and flying through a wormhole. He remembered the exhilaration of actually flying a spaceship and doing what he had wanted to do since he was a kid, only it was a lion, and he was a part of a team. He was needed. He was...needed.

He jumped into the mouth of the Blue Lion, where he could see Will writhing on the floor, bits of everything stabbing through his body, quintessence burning and tearing holes in his skin. Lance knelt beside him, cradling his Blue Paladin in his arms, knowing deep down there are some things a person can't survive.

N

Lotor's ship wavered just a bit as a wave of quintessence passed through space. Kaia, Kay, and his generals looked at him, waiting. He waved his hand, and Acxa turned the ship around. They saw the wreckage behind, the destroyed circle of planets, the three lions floating in space. The stars set a poetic background for the destruction, the light illuminating the fascinating metals found in the centers of the various planets, now exposed for all to see.

Ezor gulped. "So I guess Haggar won't be making her way to us any time soon?"

"She'd survive this," Kaia assured them. "She's been through worse before. I don't know what she'd turn out to be, but she'd survive."

"I say we leave her behind," Zethrid announced. "We've always been held back by her."

"Do you-"

"Keep your mouth shut, your highness. You're only a liability at this point." Kay shrunk away from Kaia. She moved towards Lotor, taking his hand. "It's your call. We'll support you either way."

He stood taller. "Turn the ship around. The paladins will be knocked out for some time, and if they begin to stir, we will depart immediately. But I believe they will be preoccupied."

Acxa piloted the ship through the rubble and to the center, where they'd left their leader to defend her creation. Lotor and Zethrid flew out to the core together, leaving Kaia in charge of the bridge, which she'd assured him was a terrible, yet the best, decision.

He could see the Black and Red Lions flying around the place, and the other two in the distance. But for some reason, he didn't care what the lions did, or even what had happened much. Instead, he focused back on the dusty surroundings, still glowing with raw quintessence. He felt his skin growing hotter by the moment, but chose to ignore it.

"Here!" Zethrid shouted, and Lotor parkoured to her location. She cradled the broken woman, jolting at the every touch. She lay unconscious.

"Bring her to the ship," Lotor commanded. "Prepare for takeoff."

"Where to?"

He tapped on his wrist, sending her coordinates. "Here."

N

Ari came into the cockpit next, gasping for air only once before sitting opposite Lance, stroking his hair. Her face had turned a bright red, which he could still tell, even in the blue light. Tears spilled from her eyes, but she didn't make any noise. Lance checked his wrist, his neck, his breath. Will was already gone by the time he'd reached him.

Caden and Jesse flew in at the same time, stumbling forward on impact, and stumbling backwards in shock. Lance looked up at them, but Ari didn't care to look back. She kept her eyes on him, smoothing his broken skin, refusing to cry.

"What happened?" Jesse asked no one in particular. "What-what did-what did he do?"

Lance ran his fingers through his hair. "He saved us."

"This isn't happening." Jesse paced the cockpit. "There-there has to be something we can do."

"He's already gone." He blinked, and tears fell out. "He's already gone."

Ari stood silently, walking slowly past Lance, past the twins, out of the Blue Lion. A minute later, they heard a lion power up and fly away, the sound dampening with distance. Jesse cried aloud, cradled by his brother. Lance stood, Will in his arms, and flew out the Blue Lion. He made no effort to stop his tears as he flew to the Black Lion and set Will on the floor. He made no effort to stop his tears as he opened a wormhole back to Daria to inform the Coalition that the Blue Paladin was gone.


	61. Chapter 61 - Hiraeth

Chapter 61 - Hiraeth

Ari returned for the funeral, though none of them spoke a word to each other the whole time. Person after person stood and commended Will's bravery, his kindness, his innocence, and his selflessness. Person after person came up to Ari and expressed how sorry they were for her loss, how much they wanted to help, how devastated she must feel. Person after person came to Caden and Jesse, telling them they knew what it was like to lose a close friend, they knew they must feel as if they were suddenly alone in the world, they must want to give up everything. Person after person came up to him and told him there was nothing he could've done, that he was like a father to Will, and he couldn't have done anything better.

Coran came and offered the only thing Lance really wanted: a Snuggie, a mug of hot chocolate, and cuddling in silence. He stayed for several days and managed the Coalition so Lance and the team could rest. He spoke nothing of Will, Voltron, or Altea. His actions were more than enough.

Shiro and the rest of the team were nowhere to be seen. Apparently, on the path to a mission, they were lost in a mystical asteroid field after a particularly rough two weeks. They were nowhere to be found, and they hadn't made any contact. Most assumed them dead, but Lance knew better. It was just like them to disappear when he needed them most.

After the funeral, a two day affair, the team dissipated. Ari went off to who knew where, Jesse buried himself in the core of his planet to monitor damage done by the Galra in the deepest depths, Caden went off to the outer rim of the known universe to check out a lead Kroila uncovered on a safer power supply than quintessence, and Lance spent his time in the training room. Coran watched from afar, silent, watching as his adopted nephew drove himself into the grave.

N

Ari flew through the stars for a week, running off of bags of chips and water bottles she'd found at the Space Mall. She knew the trip could've been cut down from a week into a couple minutes if she'd told Lance what she was doing. But she didn't want to see him anymore, see his disappointed face as another one of his friends left him. She was sick and tired of people saying they knew how she felt and trying to relate to her, not quite realizing people were complex beings with experiences that completely changed how they handled loss. But she was especially tired of seeing Lance slowly kill himself again.

She needed comfort.

The wall of bright light was a welcome sight, the silver slits in the black rock comforting enough. She stepped out of her lion and patted its side. "I'm not coming back. You might as well go find another paladin." She looked up at its glorious face. "It was an honor flying with you." She stepped backwards and made her way through the white wall of light.

The mist converged around the door she so readily remembered. The key, she'd disposed upon her last visit, so she simply pounded on the door yelling her family's name, sliding against the side with a cold sweat pouring down her face. She lost track of time, she lost track of sanity, as she waited for someone to answer.

A minute, a day, a year later, an apparition of her father appeared before her. She stood in reverence, nodding. He reached forward his hand and pushed her hair behind her ear. "My Ariana. You have returned already?" She nodded. "What is it you require? I have years of experience I long to share with you. I had hoped you might return so we may speak."

"I want to come home."

His smile faltered. "Ariana-"

"Please. I can't be here anymore. I can't look at things that remind me of memories I can't go back to. I can't sit here and do nothing, even though there's nothing to do." She tried to take his hand, but he pulled back. "Please, dad. Let me back in."

"This is a place for the dead."

"I can't-"

"Precisely. You cannot kill yourself. Darling, you can get through this."

"Don't-say that. Don't sound like everyone else who thinks they know how I feel but haven't ever stood in my shoes and tried to go through something. I don't need useless words, I just need someone." She crossed her arms, feeling tears she didn't know she had rolling down her face.

He nodded. "Indeed you do."

"I thought I would be fine without anyone my whole life. But then Will came along and proved that whole thing wrong." She laughed. "Turns out I need people. But now Will's gone, and everyone I know is shattering before my eyes, and nothing can go back to the way it was." Her father stayed silent. "I had this whole idea of how my future was going to look like. I was going to marry Will and defend the universe, and go back to Earth with him, but have an awful apartment because we wouldn't know how to manipulate the tax system. But it'd be okay, because Lance would live next door with Caden and Jesse, and we'd all work to unite the galaxy." She sniffed. "So _please_ tell me what I'm supposed to do now."

He began to evaporate into the mist, yet she knew it was not his doing. He couldn't stay long. But he touched her cheek and kissed her forehead as he floated in the air and past the door. "I'm sorry."

N

"I think we'll be able to stabilize it if we can reroute our water sources to pass by here. That'll cool down the core enough to allow the quintessence to heal and regenerate." Jesse looked down at his screen. "It looks like quintessence works similar to cells, with that, given enough time, it'll rebuild itself. Once it's done doing that, the core will be stable enough to support the whole planet. Until then, we're gonna need a more advanced water purification system. All these extra minerals probably won't be good for our systems."

"Jesse?" His mother touched his back.

"Hmm?"

"Do you know what time it is?"

"Hmm...six?"

"Morning or evening?"

He gulped. "I dunno?"

"Sweetie. You've been down here for four days trying to figure this out."

"And I just did."

"Good." She led him to the elevator. "Let's go home and rest."

"I-I actually have to finish a couple more things and don't want to waste the trip."

"It takes three minutes on the elevator."

"Exactly. Way too much time wasted."

"Jesse." She grabbed his hand, and he finally stood still. "You need to come up home. You're only damaging yourself."

"I'm fine-"

"You're not. Your father and I are worried. What's really wrong with you?"

Jesse paused, looking over her head. He slowly replied. "If I go up to the surface, I have to stare at that stupid Castle and remind myself over and over again that...that Will's gone, and I just don't want that."

"I'm sorry you lost your friend, but I won't stand by and watch you work yourself to death." He tore away and walked deeper into the shaft. "Jesse, you can't stay here and blame yourself. There was nothing you could've done. Please, don't do this to yourself."

He looked back, tears in his eyes. "I can't go up there. I'm sorry. Tell dad I said hi." He broke into a jog as he hurried back to a problem he knew how to fix.

N

Caden looked out the window of Kroila's ship, his eyes outlining the stars into constellations, shapes that didn't make sense to his brain, but just looked pretty. It was something he'd never done before. He thought it was beautiful, the chaos contained in the placed stars and the billows of gas reflecting in so many shades of pink. It looked like a sunset, even against the black sky.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Uma walking behind him. She stood next to him, taking deep breaths. "It's beautiful."

"It is."

"I never imagined that I'd actually be standing, watching space with you." He refused to look at her. "Much less being a part of a rebel gang of Galra. It's...cool, in a way, how things can change."

"Uma, what are you doing?"

She looked like she didn't quite know how to answer that question. "I'm being a friend."

"We're not friends, Uma. You cut that off back on Daria."

"I said we couldn't be a couple. We can still be friends."

"We both know that never works out. And you were right, anyway."

She closed her eyes and shrugged. "And I bet you want me to ask what you mean by that."

"You were right because it's not accepted. Species other than Galra don't want to see a Galra with any other species, and your people certainly don't want to see you with me, especially since your father was a high-ranking officer."

"You know I don't care about that."

He ignored that. "And I am not supposed to be in a relationship, not as a paladin, because I can't protect another person. I can't even protect my own team. It's too dangerous, and I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you because I could do nothing." He turned around. "Thank you for trying to be a friend. But please, just leave me alone. You're the last person that could help me right now."

She bit her lip. "So what are you going to do? Just wallow out here all the time, brooding at the stars?"

"Well, I can't be back on Daria, can I? We can't form Voltron, and Haggar's still out there with her little crew of misfits, apparently trying to destroy reality as we know it. We have no idea what she's doing and have no way to find out, so the least I can do is keep my hands busy until Lance comes up with a plan."

"While burying yourself in your grief?"

He stood at the door, wrapping his knuckles on the wall. "I would've thought of something, if I would've been there. I'm the smart one, after all. I should've known, should've remembered that we're stronger together. I should've been there."

"You can't blame yourself."

He rolled his eyes. "Watch me."


	62. Chapter 62 - Healing

Chapter 62 - Healing

Lance spent three weeks in the Castle. He'd learned a thing or two from his resident engineers, Pidge and Hunk obviously included, and tinkered with systems to better track Haggar and other galactic threats. Neither Haggar nor Lotor had shown their faces since the fight, and he wondered if they had suffered as much loss as they. Haggar certainly didn't have a lion to protect her, but she did have ten thousand years of experience. She was still alive, Lance was sure. He included dastine in their sensors, making sure to differentiate between titanium and dastine. From their samples, he could tell there were traces of quintessence in the metal, though he couldn't figure out whose quintessence, or what from.

He trained from four in the afternoon until midnight, at least. Sometimes his training went until two or four in the morning, before he made his way back to his room or slept on the bridge. Lance himself didn't keep close track of time, but Coran wanted to keep a medical record for when he inevitably would collapse. Lance had slowly taken back the duties of being the leader of the Coalition, though Coran still stayed for support. Lance appreciated his support, for some days, he didn't feel like getting out of bed.

During the daylight hours, he would ignore the baskets of coveted nonperishables peoples they'd saved piled from the funeral. Before or after training sessions, he'd consider eating a small plate of food goo. It didn't happen often.

Conveniently placed trackers helped him keep track of his paladin. Caden was on the outskirts of some star system, Jesse stayed underground on Daria, and Ari was running in circles a couple galaxies away. He didn't care to see where exactly she was, and figured it was a violation of her privacy. He stayed put, just in case they'd need him. Just in case Shiro and the team needed a lion of Voltron, for some reason. Just in case something happened.

At the start of the fourth week, working on the bridge at six in the morning, a transmission came through. Lance clicked on it, and Ari's face came up on the screen. Lance leaned forward. "Ari."

"Hey."

"How are you doing?"

"How do you think?" She sniffed and looked aside. "I...I tried to go back through the Rift, back to my family. I can't, obviously. I think I knew that, but I didn't want to...anyway. You?"

"I'm going day by day at this point."

"You look like you got run over by a train."

He laughed under his breath. "Yeah, I feel like it."

"Can you meet me somewhere?"

Lance nodded. "You send me coordinates?"

"Yeah. I think I know where Haggar is."

"I haven't been able to track her."

"Neither have I, but the last time she got hit with a bunch of quintessence, it corrupted her in ways that only once place could heal."

"Oriande."

"I remember you told us about that place one time, and she looks like she's Altean again, for the most part, so I figure she went there to get normal the first time. Maybe she's heading there, and maybe she's not alone."

"Is this for revenge?"

Ari paused. "She's hurt too many people. I don't know what she's planning on doing next, but we can't afford to sit around anymore. If I'm right, they'll have arrived this morning, given their trajectory and the speed of their ship, not accounting for if it was damaged during the fight."

"You've been busy." He smiled, proud.

"I've had a lot of time on my hands."

He tapped on his console, opening her message. "Just us?"

"We've all been through enough. I don't want to put Caden and Jesse through anymore, especially since we can't even form Voltron."

"Okay." He grabbed his helmet. "I'll be right there."

N

The ride was quiet. He waited until he was out of sight of Daria, so no one would think he was taking the Black Lion and ditching. He told Coran what he was doing, and asked him to keep it under tabs. It would be a quick mission; Haggar would still be wounded from their last fight. If she was at full power, they would keep their distance and not engage. He wouldn't let his emotions get the best of him, he wouldn't let Ari's emotions get the best of her.

Lance spotted Ari's lion floating just outside of the Guardian's range. They could see Haggar's ship just inside the ring. Without verbal communication, both paladins hid their lions and disembarked, flying via jetpack towards her ship.

When they reached the ship, Lance used his sword to get inside, prying open an escape hatch leading inside. The ship was uncommonly large for only seven passengers, yet smaller than normal Galra cruisers. On the way inside, he took account for the minimal weapons yet impressive defences, and thrusters he thought just might be enough to outrun Voltron.

Inside, they removed their helmets. Ari flipped her hair, and Lance noticed it had been freshly trimmed. "Have you been eating?"

"I'll answer that if you do."

"That wasn't my question."

She shrugged. "I think I'm running a little low on oil and vinegar chips, but other than that, yeah. I'll stop by the Castle and get some later, if it'll make you feel better," she said sarcastically.

"You don't have to do that, if you don't want to. I can run back and get some for you."

Ari closed her eyes, tilting her head. "Stop-doing that."

"What?"

"Caring so much."

"You know I'll never stop that."

"I know. But it bugs me."

"It shouldn't. Will was really important to you, and we all grieve in our own ways. I'm not going to argue if you need to go away for a while, or for forever. Though I'd prefer you took the barbeque instead of oil and vinegar."

She snickered. "In your dreams."

"It'll be easier to take them down if the ship is powered down. We have night vision and sonar, but they might not. Remember, they're all fighters, most of which who have been trained since birth. Be careful."

"I'll take the engine room, you wanna grab the electronics panel in the hangar?"

He nodded. "On my mark."

N

Lance reached the hangar in a matter of minutes, not encountering any unwanted guests the whole way. He supposed it was partially suspicious, but he didn't have time. Unless things went especially well, they weren't in line for an extraction and destruction kind of meeting. He could wormhole reinforcements if it came to that.

He found the control panel, controlling all the lights and internal systems. He touched his helmet. "Ari? You in place?" She affirmed. "Okay, me too. On my count. One, two-"

"Black Paladin!"

He turned to see Honerva, standing once again with clear Altean skin, her eyes glowing a mystical yellow. The yellow disappeared to give way to-normal eyes, nothing particularly special. She held up her hand, cream magic shooting forth. Lance dodged, just as she hit the control panel, sending the ship into a frenzy.

"Okay, guess we're doing this now," Ari responded. "I didn't really hear the three...but...I gotta go." The coms went dead, leaving Lance to focus on the fight at hand.

Honerva-and he dedicated himself to calling her by her true name by Altean history-stood tall and proud. "You are about as much of a nuisance as my son described. I had not believed him up until the point where you managed to destroy my finest creation. Well, second finest."

"I was about to say, last I saw, Lotor was alive and kicking."

"Thank you for your acknowledgment. However, it seems you are three paladins short. But even if they were here, I would take full advantage of your idiocracy, attacking me in my own plain of strength."

 _She doesn't know_ , Lance thought to himself. He dodged the magic, blocked a beam with his shield, and caught another midair with his sniper. Honerva growled and shot double beams, one catching him in the leg, he yelled aloud and dropped to a knee, hiding behind his shield. Honerva closed in, so he stood with his healthy leg and pushed in back, firing a shot at the rafters. It fell between them, and for a second, he got to breathe before she jumped over the beam and continued her attack.

Lance dodged twice more, then again, before he let his shield down and tossed his bayard to the side. Honerva's magic hit him straight on, and he screamed, falling to the ground. She moved forward, grabbing his chin and raising him up. "You give up so easily? What kind of leader are you?"

"That's what I've been saying," he managed to reply.

She dropped him on the ground with a laugh. "Voltron has been the neverending thorn in my side. It was a miracle when you reformed the lions after the timely exile of the former paladins. Perhaps if you had given up then, you would not endure the pain of the present." She fired another beam of light.

He fell, yet attempted to sit back up. He groaned. "And I agree."

"Lotor informed me this was the strongest formation of Voltron. I couldn't help but agree when you overtook him in the rift, which I had intended to use to find my perfect reality. No need. I have other methods you could not have dreamed were possible. Or perhaps it was because of your caring nature, that your paladins trusted you after only just meeting you. Or perhaps it was just you, who was so underqualified for the position that they had no choice but to fit into their position."

"It's a combination," he said, winded.

"And here, you give up. What's changed? Perhaps you realize after our last battle that you cannot possible defeat me. Three black paladins have tried, and now? Three black paladins have failed. I will have my way. There is nothing you can do to stop me." She jerked his chin up, staring him in the eye. "So tell me, black paladin. Do you have a death wish? Do you have something you wanted to see or do before you die? Do tell. I would gladly grant it upon such a mysterious leader such as yourself. The universe does lose a valuable asset today."

He took a breath. "Please." She waited, a sick smile on her face. "Please, just bring him back."

"Pardon?"

"Will, please, my blue paladin." He felt tears spilling down his cheeks. "He was lost in our last fight. I don't care what you do with me, but please, if you can bring him back with your Altean magic or whatever, please. He wouldn't be any trouble. But people need him. I can tell Ari's hurting, and I don't know how to help her, but if you could...if you could bring him back..." He looked down. "That's all I'd really want right now."

He hadn't cried much before, but now he didn't stop himself. He sobbed before the Galran Queen, on his hands and knees. Did he beg? No, but he mourned the loss of a dear friend.

And she knew.

"I cannot," she snapped, "and even if I could, I would not." She drew back her hand. Lance reached to the right and slapped a button, which opened the hangar doors. They were both sucked into space, only Lance had a ride waiting for him. The Black Lion swooped in to pick him up, the Guardian roaring behind them. Lance glanced behind, seeing Honerva flying back inside, looking at him.

"She's been through way more than we have," Lance told Black. "We both feel loss."

N

Jesse awoke from his sleep to find a hot breakfast waiting for him on what he recognized as one of his mother's plates. He took a piece of meat off the plate and decided to save the rest for later. It was an exciting day, after all. The aqueducts were built and the purification system in place, and they were more prepared than ever to being cooling the core and restoring their planet's quintessence.

"Jesse!"

He whipped around to see a familiar face running towards him. "Caden? What are you doing here?"

"You need to come with me. Lance and Ari went to go fight Haggar alone."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know, it's Lance and Ari. Maybe they thought they had a good reason."

"How do you-"

"Coran called and told me. I took the fastest ship we had to get back here, but they're definitely already there. We gotta leave _now_."

Jesse started following Caden towards the elevators, but slowed to a halt. "Dude, we haven't flown our lions in almost a month."

"Are you hearing yourself? This is Lance and Ari we're talking about!"

"I know. But are we going to be a help or a liability?"

"We're a family. We have to stick together, like you said."

"Be honest with yourself, we haven't been a family. You left, I've been hiding underground, and Ari's been who knows where. Lance has been doing all the saving universe stuff, and we've all abandoned him to it. I don't blame him for going off on his own. It's not like he had any idea we might actually come back." Jesse turned back.

"I was wrong, about leaving. It took me too long to realize that nowhere else is home. And I'm sorry that I travelled halfway across the universe to find that out that I've been the one making poor decisions after all. But please." He grabbed Jesse's hands. "You don't have to forgive me now, or ever. Just help me get Lance and Ari back. We've lost enough."

Jesse paused for a second, his back to his brother. But he turned and ran towards the elevator, pressing the up button. "You coming?"

N

Ari turned off the engines, leaving the ship spiralling in the clouds around the entrance or Oriande. Behind her, she could hear the heavy breathing and maniacal cackling off the villain behind her. "We're winning," she told him with finality, turning with her bow in her hand. "You're going to lose. All your petty efforts are going to collapse before your eyes, and you're going to end up getting exactly what you deserve."

"And what is that exactly?"

"A painful, excruciating death." She drew an arrow, pointed directly at his heart.

"Bold of your to assume I can die." He took a step forward.

"Don't move closer! I'll skewer you."

"Oh, but Lance has taught you too well. You would never dare kill a living being."

"You wanna try me?"

"I am right now." He stepped to where his chest was pressed up against the arrow. "I am tempting death and tempting you, yet your emotions cannot override your training. They cannot override the core of who you are. You will not let them. You hold them in check."

Ari yelled and whipped around, shooting the arrow at his shoulder. He easily dodged and jumped backwards. "I don't want to kill you. I want to watch you suffer."

"Wrong again." He sliced her next arrow in half and slid under another. He fought her bow with his sword. "You are good, you come from good parents, you have heritage leading to a life of prosperity and empathy to all."

"So do you." She grunted under the pure force "And look how you turned out."

They fought silently for a bit, which Ari appreciated. She got a feel for his fighting style and decided it would be better to go for his legs. They were long and generally unprotected. "I am born of pure quintessence, Altean energy, and unfortunate Galran heritage. You have no idea what I have gone through to overcome who I am!"

"Maybe you didn't need to!" She managed to fight, breathless, as she spoke. "I thought i needed to despise who I was, that I needed to change myself. But I didn't. I didn't know who I really was. I didn't know where I'd really come from."

"Trust me, I have ten thousand years of experience up my belt." He continued fighting, harder, stronger, but with little variation in strategy. And he was right, he would win by brute strength eventually. They both knew she'd been malnourished recently. It showed in her swings. "You are merely a human, a human with easily broken bones."

"Everyone's got their flaws." She waited for him to finish his swing, then dodged and slid under, catching his legs with her bow. As he fell, she hit his head over with her leg. She repeated this procedure several times until he no longer tried to stand, slumping unconscious on the floor "Yours was killing my fiancee."


	63. Chapter 63 - What We've Lost

Chapter 63 - What We've Lost

They all rendezvous at the Castle of Lions, Caden and Jesse working with Coran to receive Lotor into their prisons. He looked quite dashing, slumped over unconscious in the glass cage, his hair sprayed out like in a hair commercial. Jesse fawned over the two, telling them how stupid and irresponsible but also how cool it was that they double-handedly took out one of Honerva's best weapons. To Lance's discretion, they too began calling her by her given name. Jesse did ask what Zarkon's last name was and purposed to ask Lotor when he regained consciousness.

Ari stayed behind, guarding the cage while the others headed back to their rooms to shower and eat. While she got herself cleaned up, the others played the Altean version of checkers in front of the glass cage. Coran prepared some lovely food from the donations from the people's represented at Will's funeral, as well as the engagement party prior. It was rich food, needed for all of them. Though they ate in silence, they all relished in the fact that they ate together.

The red paladin went back to watch Lotor while the others went off to bed. It only took a couple minutes, though, for Lance to plunge back in the training room and for the green and yellow paladins to return to the engine room for necessary updates. They worked alongside each other, in near silence, until they rested on the floor with a good sleep.

N

"It seems you have bested me." Ari awoke with a start upon hearing the voice. Lotor stood in his cage, a tamed smile on his face. "And how rude of me, giving up so easily. I do believe we did not have the chance to finish our conversation."

"I didn't care to."

"Obviously. If you don't finish the conversation, you don't have a chance to lose." He smiled. "And besides, I need a bit of a distraction at the moment. Just to pass the time, not that you'd know what that means."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know I am right, in my efforts. To be myself. What does it matter the lives I have taken along the way?"

"And why are you so much better? That you'd put others over yourself? If your life so much more important than everyone else?"

"I am _Altean_. I am a legend."

"To me, it just sounds like Alteans were peacekeepers. You are not an Altean."

"If you dare insinuate-"

"I'll go one step further. You're a homicidal maniac that is worse than Zarkon in every way possible, to the point that you would slay entire civilizations upon meeting them and enslave their people and destroy families and brothers, and sister, and fathers, and mothers, and-"

"I AM NOT MY FATHER!" Lotor shouted, pounding on the glass.

Ari took a step backwards. "And that's where you're wrong. You think if you just ignore your Galran heritage it'll just go away. But you don't need to despise part of yourself and embrace another! You're you, all of it. And in my experience? Not all Galra are bad."

"And why so interested in my wellbeing now?"

"Because you're right. I was raised right, and I don't want to kill you. I want to see you get better, because that's what I want to do."

"And why would you care?"

She shook her head. "You don't get it, do you?"

"I would say you think I am some sad sob story, and you want another person to make you feel good in the world. I've seen your type before, the kind of person who believes they can change the world just by fixing one soul. The kind of person who hasn't lost anything of value and yet wears the edgy role because it seems-"

"You took the person I loved most in the world! Don't lecture me on what kind of person I am. Nobody knows the kind of person I am exactly, not your or anybody. You don't know my history, you don't know my relationships, you don't know my family."

Lotor froze. "You..."

She held up her hand, the band of gold still on her finger. "He died protecting us from your mother's monster. He was the person I loved most in the world, and you know what?" She put her hand on the glass, face wet from tears. "I am so proud of him. But you have no idea how much I miss him. You have no idea what I'd do to have him back."

He took a step back. "I didn't know."

"Now you do."

He took a deep, ragged breath. "It's true, I have no idea the horror you have been through. I have one that I love as well, and I would not be the person I am today without her."

"The girl Galra?"

"Half breed, yes. Like myself."

"She's beautiful."

"She is. And I would be devastated if she perished."

"We were going to get married," she told him. "We were supposed to bring hope to the rest of the galaxy, that maybe Zarkon's reign of terror had ended."

"We are not continuing-"

"Maybe you don't think you are, but this is what his reign looks like. You know this more than anyone." She looked down, partially unwilling to admit it. "Maybe you didn't know, maybe you didn't intend for this to happen, but you're following a dark path. This is what's going to happen to the rest of the universe if you don't stop."

Lotor's tears matched Ari's own. "My deepest apologies-"

The doors opened, and behind them, Honerva stood at the entrance. "The security in this castle is pathetic. Honestly, you all are asking for intruders." She stepped forward, noticing the tears on her son's face. "What have they done to you?"

"Mother, please." She stopped in her tracks upon hearing her title. He gulped, as if not sure of the words he spoke. "We have caused enough damage."

"What-"

"The blue paladin is no more."

She took a moment. "As sorry as I am for your loss, this is only a small casualty towards a larger goal."

"What is that larger goal?" Ari asked, waving her hands around. "This reality is awful, I know that. We all know that. But you can't destroy it because you got a bad lot!"

Honerva spotted the ring on Ari's hand. "Where did you get that?"

Ari fingered it. "Will gave it to me. We were going to be married in the spring."

"That's my ring."

"Lance found it in the rift, back when we fought Lotor initially. It was the one thing that didn't belong, because it was yours, from your past. It belongs with you." Ari took it off and held it out to Honerva. "This is yours, not mine. And I don't need it anymore."

Honerva looked more shocked than anything. She reached out and touched the ring, the quintessence contained shooting through both of them. Ari saw Honerva's memories, from her time as a child on Altea to her marriage to Zarkon to naming her unborn son. Ari cried all the more. She saw her hand touching Honerva's, who fell under the weight. She put her hand to her mouth. "I'd forgotten."

Before their eyes, Honerva's Galra marks disappeared, turning back to her red Altean marks. A tear rolled over them. "How could I forget?"

Ari catapulted into a hug. "It's not your fault. There's nothing you could've done. But now you need to let go."

The quintessence ran out, and the memories faded. Honerva stood still for a moment, then returned Ari's hug.

N

Ari led Honerva and Lotor through the Castle, silent. She led them to the hangar, where the lions stood, waiting. Lance met her there after her message, accepting the two without explanation. "Do you guys need anything?"

Lotor looked off, pain behind his eyes. Honerva shook her head. "I cannot bring back your blue paladin. His soul is embedded in the Blue Lion, and there is nothing I can do to reverse that. I am so sorry." She, too, began to cry.

"Hey, hey." Lance gave her a hug. "Don't. You didn't know."

"Even if I had-"

"But we're not going to think about that." Caden and Jesse walked through the door, equally trusting of Lance's inclusion of the two. "It was worth a shot."

She jerked forward. "I might-since his soul still resides in the blue lion, I may be able to unlock it just long enough for you to see him, temporarily."

Ari lifted her head. "I could see him?"

"We could say goodbye," Lance echoed. Honerva nodded. "Get in your suits. Come back here in five dobashes."

They all departed, Lance offering to take Lotor to the bridge. Ari was already in her armor, so she stayed in the hangar and cleaned her weapon. Honerva touched her shoulder from behind. "I didn't want to say anything in front of the others, but." She held out her hand, and Ari took it. It was a small key made of black metal. "I made this key some five thousand years ago, only the Galra don't have use for a key like this, considering their strategy is to blast doors down and ask questions later."

"What is it?"

"It can open any door." Ari's eyes widened. "I'd recognize that hair anywhere."


	64. Chapter 64 - The Astral Field

Chapter 64 - The Astral Field

They all got in their respective lions, slow and unsure. Lance slid his hands over the controls, tapping lightly. "Honerva? You ready?" She nodded from below, and she and Lotor put their hands on the Black Lion. Lance could feel a whir, a vibration of the very air in the lion.

"What's she doing?" Ari asked.

"Putting her quintessence into our lions. We were pretty powerless after our last fight."

"Cool."

The Black Lion purred, and Lance took his bayard. "We need to feel the bond we have when we form Voltron, connecting with our lions and with each other. That'll forge the bond we need to enter the Astral Plane."

"Did you ever do this with four paladins?"

"...We'll work on that."

Lotor gave him a thumbs up from below (which Lance had taught him) and the lions stood. "On my count," Lance told them, holding his bayard up. "One, two, three!"

He thrust his bayard into its slot, turning it with the others. His lion lit up with purple, and his eyes went dark. When he opened them, he stood again in Altea, surrounded by the ocean-like grass and pink flowers. And in the distance, on the other side of the field, he could see a group of people in traditional garb. He counted six, five of which surrounded a blond haired boy he recognized.

N

Daria set off firecrackers to celebrate the New Year, which fizzled and popped in the air at the same altitude of the Castle. The two could hear the merriment from inside, the shouts of children and the singing of women. The joyous chants ushering in another Darian year, the gladness gained from a year of actually being free of the Galra after such a long time. The dark sky lit up with the temporary stars.

Lotor leaned on the table, awkwardly looking at his mother, who kept her hands on the Black Lion. He took a breath. "Do you truly intend to do them no harm?"

She turned, focusing her attention on their conversation. "I spent ten thousand years angry, with myself, with your father, with the world. Once I realized what had been done to me, my son and my memories taken, I was angry enough to destroy all of reality. And I would've. But they have helped me realize there can be more to life, if I will still myself to see it."

"So you intend to stay with them?"

"I intend to pay the price they set for my actions." She stood tall. "I believed that because I looked more like my old self, I was, but I did not have the memories, the experience, the pain. If I do not learn from my experiences, I will repeat them. I must pay the price."

"And afterwards?"

She looked down. "My perfect world was living the rest of my life as a wife, as your mother. Changing the universe one star system at a time. It is impossible now." She turned back to the Black Lion and put her hands upon it.

"You are my mother," he said quietly. "It is my duty and honor to take care of you."

"You have a life ahead of you-"

"And it is nothing if you despair in darkness." He stood. "My own arrogance blinded me, my own hatred for the winning side, but I never considered that I might have to change sides."

"I'm so sorry for all I put you through."

"Whatever the paladins decide to do with us, I will comply. But I hope, afterwards, that we may stay close. You are the part of myself I feel closest to, and I wish to learn more about it."

She smiled. "You always had an affinity for Altean history."

"It always intrigued me."

"You would've loved to see it."

He accepted her hug. "I know it was beautiful."

N

Lance kept Will in a hug for a long time, and when the others came through and adjusted to the blinding light, they piled on. He didn't keep track of time (not that he had any method to), and just enjoyed the fact that maybe things weren't as bad as they were supposed to be. The other paladins waited in silence, watching the clouds pass over the sky and the flowers blow in the wind.

Eventually, he let go, and Will and Ari had their own hug. It didn't last half as long, but he knew they wanted it. Will looked more surprised than anything. "How did you guys get here?"

"V2 went to the Astral Plane once, it was pretty cool. And I went to the Astral Plane during our last fight and saw Alfor, and thought it was worth a shot."

Jesse's eyes widened. "You're the original paladins?" He went up to King Alfor and shook his hand, almost obsessively. "I can't believe this is happening. You BUILT Voltron. You!" He slid to the yellow paladin. "Ahh! You're the first yellow paladin. You're more amazing in real life than you are in pictures! I can't believe this is happening!"

Caden shook the hand of the original green paladin. "So, the first and second green paladins were girls? Is there something I should know?"

She laughed. "Nothing to be worried about. I am glad the legacy of the green lion has passed to one just as observant."

He blushed. "Thanks."

The Black Paladin stood, and chills went down Lance's spine before he realized this was Zarkon before quintessence overload. "I believe you wish to have time alone before we depart."

"Depart?"

Will frowned. "We're leaving, apparently. You guys finished any unfinished business by helping Haggar get back to being Honerva and making Lotor not evil, so we don't have any more reason to stay here."

"We won't see you again?"

He brushed his fingers against her hair. "It's okay."

"I know." She looked down. "I just...thought..."

Zarkon lifted his hand, and the others followed him back through the tree to the castle in the distance. V3 sat on the grass in a circle chattering nonscencently about things that mattered and things that didn't.

Lance loved feeling the wind curl the hair on the back of his neck. Swish, swish, up and down. He was reminded of a sea breeze back home, the salt soothing his skin and the warm air cooking up a nice tan. The grass made for a lovely cushion, and he was glad to know when he got up, there wouldn't be a mess of sand on his bottom. The flowers Will strung in Ari's hair looked lovely.

Hours later, the paladins of old eventually returned to collect Will. It was time to go.

"So what are you guys going to do without me?" He asked, standing.

"Coalition stuff." Lance finger gunned. "Maybe go back home."

"I'm gonna make sure Lance doesn't accidentally kill himself from working too hard. And...I'd kind of like to see if Haza can get better." She looked down at the key in her hand. "I thought I wanted to go home more than anything, even a home I'd hardly known. It felt right. But the universe still needs me, even if it's just to run a cafe on Haza or a farm on Earth. I just need to do something."

"And we're proud of you." Will spoke for them all.

"I'm gonna keep working on home. Maybe meet a nice girl and start a family. Or be single forever."

"I'm NOT gonna let that happen," Caden assured them.

"None of us are," Lance mumbled. "Jesse was born to be a dad."

"Oh, and how are you gonna do that, halfway across space?" Jesse teased his brother.

"I'm actually gonna stay." The others stared at me. "And I know that's what half of you have been telling me to do this whole time, but it just got to my head that I had to do something big to be important, but I don't. Home is important." He pushed his twin over. "Even if I have to put up with this guy even more."

They all laughed, and Will brushed his hands off. "Thanks, for everything. Sorry for dying, but at least y'all are alive. And I'm...I'm glad I got to see y'all one last time."

Lance wrapped him in a hug. "I'm gonna find your parents, and I'm gonna tell them what a hero you are."

"Good luck. There's billions of people on Earth!" Will squeezed harder. "You're the most parent-y person that I had in my life. Thanks for believing in me."

Ari went next. "You taught me how to be human."

He held her face in his hands. "You taught yourself that."

Caden jumped on the hug. "You were never an idiot. I...I was just teasing. You're really smart."

Will's reply was muffled, and Caden's shirt came away wet. "Thanks."

"Thanks for the happiness," Will told Jesse.

"Thanks for being you. You're amazing."

"William." King Alfor put a hand on his shoulder.

He looked back a bit, then back at them. "It was an honor flying with you guys."

They all nodded as he walked by Alfor's side into the horizon, which turned into a white light, encompassing the plane. When it disappeared, the paladins were back in their lions, happy tears on their cheeks.


	65. Chapter 65 - Epilogue

Chapter 65 - Epilogue

"Lance? Can I have a second?"

He nodded and paused Minesweeper.

Kay folded his arms, eyes trained on the ground. "I just wanted to apologize for what I did. I was angry, and I thought it was your fault for all that had happened to me, and I didn't realize that you had done all you could, and because of what I did, you lost a paladin."

"Kay." Lance put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, I forgive you. We all do. We've all been put in situations where we've made poor decisions, but they're not all our fault. I wish you would've never been through that."

"Me too."

"How did Haggar even get to you?"

"She recognized me, actually, and knew I was from a destroyed planet." He met Lance's eyes. "She bought me."

"Wait-like on a black market?"

"Yeah, essentially. There's a huge market for slaves."

"How have we not heard of this?"

"It's the best kept secret in the galaxy. There's a bunch of scavengers that kidnap unsuspecting people and sell them on the dark side of the galaxy."

"That's why. The Galra limited the maps we made, and the Altean maps don't have the universe after ten thousand years."

"Some scavengers found me and Haggar bought me off of them." He shrugged. "I met a lot of hurting people there, and I didn't realize how lucky I got when she took me. Most of them don't make it out of there alive. I just...I just wish there was something I could do."

"The Coalition can help."

"Yeah, but it's all the way on the other side of the universe, and then some."

"But you're forgetting. We have wormholes."

 **Author's Note**

Hey everybody! I hope you enjoyed this installment of this fic; I've enjoyed writing it so much. Shoutout to all the fantastic people who leave reviews: Shiranai Atsune (btw I've seen you request a lot of fics because I tried to search you up, and ty for being so supportive of this community!), RhythmicJustice (legit good feedback, you should be a professional editor), and Faukroo (you make me smile friend. I was looking back at reviews lol) especially.

Thanks for reading this far! If you're reading some time in the future, the rest of this isn't really relevant? But for my peeps in December 2018-Mb February 2019? This is for us.

So I'm starting to work on my second novel and won't have a lot of extra writing time to work on this fic, but I do have a third installment planned with 34 chapters (totaling 100 for the whole fic, y'all in 2020 or something can see if I'm lying). But if I start writing in January and find I have time enough, I'll post some chapters!

Otherwise, thanks for reading this far! Hope you enjoyed the second installment. Have a Happy New Year.


End file.
